The Akiviri
by raldbthar
Summary: Though Alduin is defeated, Miraak slain and the Volkihar clan stopped, a new, greater threat looms over the horizon, caused solely by the Dragonborn.
1. Something Wicked this Way Comes

For the third night in a row the Dragonborn had known some small measure of peace and comfort. Sitting in the banquet hall of Lakeview Manor with quite literally all of the friends who had stood by her until the end, she listened to the stories the Companions told of their most recent adventures. Many of the Mages from Winterhold were there as well, to include Arch-mage Savos who seemed to be attempting to make Kodlak, Harbringer of the Companions see the logic in using magic. Serana Volkihar stood off to the side a fair bit, not quite 'fitting in' with the people around her, though the Dragonborn knew she would come around. Frea of the Skaal had been the most difficult to convince to come to Skyrim. In the end the only thing that finally got her to agree was a promise to bring any of the Companions that were willing to try and rid Solsthiem of as many reiklings as possible. There were others there as well. Friends from the Imperial Legion, as well as the Stormcloaks who had agreed to put aside their differences whilst the World Eater needed to be dealt with. The Dragonborn simply decided she would keep from informing the greater part of Skyrim that the threat was over, if nothing else then to at least keep the war from starting back up for that much longer.

"Naspia, girl." The Dragonborn looked up at the call of her name. Skjor shouted over the din of the story telling and drunken revelry or the Dragonborn's friends. "You have yet to tell anyone here of your bout with the great Serpent."

Naspia looked at each face in the hall, everyone's previous conversations forgotten, all attention paid to the young Dragonborn. She knew this would come and she had no reason not to tell the story. Though some expected Naspia to hate reliving that terrible fight, in truth she yearned to return to Sovngarde, although she was almost certain she couldn't. She was Imperial and did not quite understand how entry to Sovngarde worked for the Dargonborn. Still, she had yet to describe the place to those around. Clearing her throat she stood and moved to the center of the room.

"Well, it was my first time ever riding a dragon, that day." She replied, her voice, much like her physique seeming so frail and tiny compared to her deeds. "Odahviing carried me to Skuldafn, but the journey was mercifully long. Flying so high I really didn't want it to end. Even while riding on top of a fire breathing dragon, it was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life."

Naspia went into detail about the Draugr that lined the walls of Skuldafn, but her steel plated armor deflected their arrows while her gifted blade Dawnbreaker hacked the undead to burning pieces, or sent them running. She told them of her duel with Tsun and how she bested him, but just barely so. Naspia described the Hall of Valor and multiple times had to think of the appropriate words to use to describe the place. She felt a few tears roll down the side of her cheeks as she told them about it and other than Aela and Skjor every Nord in the room bowed their heads in understanding. The magnitude of Sovngarde's beauty was not lost on them. When she gathered herself, Naspia described the three ancient ones, the trio that had assisted her in Sovngarde to defeat the World Eater. She concluded the story with a bit more fire and excitement as she described the battle in earnest and spoke of how the spirit of the land seemed to seep within her and force her onward, even with Alduin's overwhelming strength.

"When the beast died, it was like no other dragon I'd fought before." The Dragonborn told them, her eyes staring just above the heads of her audience as though she were staring up at the World Eater defiantly. "I did not absorb his soul. In truth I don't believe he ever had one. The foul serpent cracked and contorted and soon erupted in fire and ruin."

The features of a story teller wore from her face and the naive, innocent and somewhat vacant stare normally adorning the Dragonborn's face returned.

"I must say lass, your ability to tell tales of victory have certainly improved." Kodlak stated with a laugh and a booming clap from his armored hands. The other Companions joined in, followed closely by everyone else. Naspia turned bright red, the hue to her cheeks almost matching her fiery red hair as she took a bow.

"I learned from the best braggers in Tamriel." She replied, throwing a smirk to the brother Farkas and Vilkas who both took an exaggerated bow of their own, a chorus of laughter ensuing afterward. She was about to make a comment on how they should accompany her on the next dragon slaying quest she undertook but was interrupted by a knock at her door.

Naspia reached for her blade, Dawnbreaker and unsheathed the Deadric relic before heading to the door. Everyone in the room did the same, preparing for some type of attack, though from who no one would ever guess. The Dragonborn had built this home herself, in secret.

Naspia opened the door and glared, Dawnbreaker held high and at the ready. The young mage at the door nearly collapsed onto the ground and let out a shriek of terror.

"No please, I am only seeking someone!" The mage shouted. "I mean no harm at all!"

"Who are you?" Naspia demanded as the Companions were the first ones outside to flock around her. "And who is it you believe you will find here? Speak unknown mage."

"My name is Casius Sicarius." The mage replied, slowly standing up and wiping the dust and snow from his robes. "I am a mage of the Synod and I come seeking out the one they call the Dragonborn."

"What business do you have with me?" Lydia, the Dragonborn's housecarl and protector demanded. It wasn't the first time she pretended to be Naspia to determine if someone were a suicidal assassin.

"Ah, Dragonborn." The mage replied, lowering his head respectfully. "I have grave news. A development that... that requires the attention of one as powerful as you. Please... is there a place we can speak."

The man made it a point to look over his shoulder as though he weren't certain if anyone had followed him. Lydia looked at Naspia who nodded her head.

"Very well." Lydia replied, beckoning the mage to come inside. "Come and tell me what is so dire that you had to find me out in the middle of nowhere."

* * *

The mage sat down on a chair opposite Lydia with Naspia just behind her, acting as though the housecarl and thane had switched places.

"Now then, what is this catastrophe?" Lydia asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The Arch-mage and Kodlak had both joined them as well, receiving no argument from Casius. In fact he seemed quite happy to have two more powerful beings in the room listening.

"Yes, where to start?" The mage said, tapping his chin. "Well... you are aware of the collection of Elder Scrolls that had once been housed within the White Gold Tower in Cyrodil, yes? Well, we have slowly been retrieving the lost Scrolls in an attempt to reclaim what was lost."

"I'm assuming this has to do with one being found?" Lydia asked.

"Yes, Dragonborn. You see we found one but there was something about it. Something no one seemed to be able to explain clearly. The Moth Priests seemed to absolutely have to read its contents. When they did, a prophecy was found that relates directly to your actions, Dragonborn."

"What do you mean?" Naspia stuttered, receiving a raised eyebrow from the priest.

"I mean that your actions were the start to this prophecy." The mage replied, turning back to Lydia. "The prophecy stated '_When the Child of Akatosh defends the portal of the Gods and destroys the two Firsts, the Eldest and Youngest shall return to claim their vengeance.' _We believe that this refers to you stopping Clan Volkihar from blotting out the sun, which is believed to be a portal of sorts to the Divines. And the two firsts are believed to be Alduin, the first dragon and Miraak, the first Dragonborn."

"How do you know about Volkihar and Miraak?" Naspia demanded. Lydia realized it was no longer necessary for her to play the Dragonborn and stepped aside.

"The true Dragonborn I take it? Well, it started off as rumors of your deeds that seemed to coincide with the prophecy so the Synod was requested by the Emperor to investigate. My compatriot ended up heading for Solstheim because you were rumored to have traveled there. When he inquired about you, he was directed to the Skall village where the rest of his information was obtained. I myself found out what had occurred between you and the ancient Vampire clan from a rather sour man named Isran."

"And they gave up this information to a stranger willingly?" Naspia asked, deciding to check a few people off of her list of friends she could trust.

"No, technically they were forced. Well, Isran and the residents of Raven Rock were, at any rate. We showed them an edict from the Emperor himself and they obliged, likely so that the Empire wouldn't harass them further. The Skaal, however, openly gave us the information when we made their pilgrimage to the large stones."

"I see... So what does the last part mean? The Eldest and the Youngest? Who are they?"

"Of that we aren't certain. The vision given to the Moth Priest who read the scroll showed where this would happen and he says he saw the Dragonborn with an army at her back to face down some great and terrible foe."

"Of course..." Naspia said with an audible sigh. "It would have been only too convenient for me to settle down and maybe live an actual life..."

"I am not happy about this information, Dragonborn, I assure you." Casius informed her with an apologetic look in his eyes. "It seems that those who are born with power and a good heart are doomed to never find a restful moment."

"Well when and where is this taking place?" Naspia asked, a sudden fatigue showing on her youthful face. Kodlak placed a hand on the Dragonborn's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She knew what he meant with it. She wouldn't be alone for this task. Not this time.

"It is in a place I am not familiar with, though you may be." The mage said, and stood up, walking over to the map displayed on Naspia's wall. "Here. It is to happen here and we believe it to be on the 18th of Morning Star."

"That's the Breton holiday of Waking Day." Naspia said and shook her head. "Whomever wrote the scrolls sure seemed to have a fairly twisted sense of humor... And right outside Dead Men's Respite."

"I don't think you quite understand the Elder Scrolls too well." Casius replied bluntly.

"Regardless, it would seem this kind of information should be brought to the attention of the powers vying for control of Skyrim immediately." Savos stated flatly. Everyone looked back at the Arch-mage but couldn't disagree. "If this threat is grave enough that it was found within an Elder Scroll then perhaps we should attempt to be more prepared for it then we were for the great black dragon. No sense in forcing young Naspia here to do all the work in saving the world once again."

"I thank you Arch-mage." Naspia replied and looked over at Kodlak who gave her that seem fatherly smile and wink he'd done dozens of times that told her everything was going to be alright. "Right then. Casius, if what you say is correct then we have exactly one month before this prophecy becomes reality. Would you mind accompanying me when I go to visit General Tullius in Solitude?"

"I have no qualms with it." Casius informed her. "Might I ask why you would have need of me?"

"I may have upset the General during the negotiations to end hostilities while I went to fight Alduin. That decree from the Emperor seems very much needed."

"And Ulfric Stormcloak?" Kodlak asked. "How will you convince him to maintain this truce a little longer?"

"I would request that the Harbringer of the Companions aided me in that regard." Naspia told him with a smirk. Kodlak chuckled and nodded his head, stroking his beard in thought.

"Aye lass, I shall attempt to talk sense to the would-be high king."

"Well then... seems I've got a trip ahead of me." Naspia said, rubbing her temples. "Kodlak, I'll meet you at the gates of Windhelm before the sun sets three days from now. I hesitate to say this, but if you could... tell the other Shield Brothers and Sisters they are invited to help with this."

"Not a bad idea." Kodlak replied. "Things could get unpleasant if we tell Ulfric that liberating Skyrim will have to wait."

Naspia smirked and made her way toward the doors. She could hear thuds and shuffling and ran to the door and threw it open with an amused grin on her face.

"You know, if you wanted to know what has happening so badly that you had to listen in on my conversation, you could have asked when we were done." She teased, laughing at Farkas who was too slow and had fallen on his backside. Vilkas, Athis and Torvar all had equally guilty looks on their faces and Naspia shook her head.

"So, we're about to having something worse than dragons on our hands, huh?" Vilkas asked. "I'd like to test my blade against that."

"If we are lucky maybe we can avert it all together." Savos pointed out, getting sour looks from the Companions.

"Alright, well everyone, you're more than welcome to stay here the night, obviously." Naspia told everyone. "But I'll be heading out at first light tomorrow morning for Solitude."

The group seemed to look at one another but no one seemed confused. Everyone seemed well prepared for the news, so Naspia assumed the eavesdroppers had shared the information. It made no difference to the young Dragonborn. She was happy that the looks on all their faces could be described as eager, rather than apprehensive. She hoped that she might convince a few of them to help her and couldn't help but think of just how nice it would be not to have to shoulder another apocalypse on her own.


	2. Taste of What's to Come

Naspia, Casius, Lydia, Serana and Tolfdir had set out early that morning. The sun had not yet risen when the Dragonborn's home had emptied. Gunjar, Naspia's carriage driver had filled his wagon with everyone, save the Dragonborn herself, who had opted to summon Arvak, an undead horse she had 'saved' from the Soul Cairn back while she was helping Serana deal with her father.

The ride had been uneventful, to say the least. Tolfdir kept going on and on about how the Eye of Magnus, a relic Naspia had helped find, was so immensely powerful and mysterious. Only Casius, however, was actually interested in what was being said.

"I guarantee, Master Tolfdir, that the Synod would be most appreciative of a chance to study such an artifact." Casius told the wizard. "It sounds like it could benefit all men and mer throughout Tamriel."

"Perhaps but that is not my decision to make, you understand." Tolfdir assured him. "The Arch-mage would be furious if he even heard me talking about it now."

"Then why are you, Master?" Naspia asked with a playful grin.

"Because I am free to do as I please, young one." Tolfdir replied matter-of-factly. "And further more, if this mage of the Synod proves as trustworthy as he seems, then I would be delighted to invite him and him alone to the College to view the Eye of Magnus with the hopes that he would allow me a visit to Cyrodil to see some of their wonders."

"If all plays out well here then I have no issue with that, Master Tolfdir." Casius replied with a hint of excitement in his voice. "I must admit, Dragonborn, I didn't expect you to be an apprentice in mage-craft. Every time I asked about you, it was your prowess as a warrior that was talked about more often then not."

"Which you probably also found hard to believe, huh?" Naspia asked, no malice hidden in her voice.

"When I finally met you, yes, actually." Casius stated, giving the young woman an appraising look. "I mean, no offense, of course."

Naspia smirked and gave him a wave showing she took no offense. She understood all too well that she didn't look like she was fit for battle, spell casting or anything other than perhaps being a bard in a tavern. Her short red hair was styled in a typically Imperial way that was popular with the younger women. She was short and thin, looking so fragile she could barely hold a dagger. The only give away that she had any power to her was in her bright green eyes that seemed to pierce the souls of any who looked into them. Other than that she looked almost comical. She was naturally pretty, with skin as pale as any Nords, even though she was an Imperial, born and raised in Cyrodil, as were her parents. What made her look so funny was the heavy dragon bone armor she wore. The Dragonborn, at first glance, had no muscle to her whatsoever, yet she carried the heavy armor, the massive, enchanted Dwemer shield on her left arm and the bright blade that glowed as intensely as the sun at her hip.

"If you don't mind my asking, Dragonborn, how old are you exactly?" Casius inquired.

"I have seen 22 winters." Naspia replied, receiving a rather shocked look from the Imperial Mage. "Is that a problem?"

"Oh, well... no." Casius responded. "But you understand you were... not what I was expecting."

"You were expecting... a Nord." Naspia teased. "With big muscly arms, a big battle axe and a commanding voice, right?"

"Uhm... yes. That's exactly what I expected."

Naspia giggled in a way that seemed far too child like, even for such a young woman. Her laughter was stopped as the neared Katla's farm, just outside of Solitude. The place was burning and Naspia drew her blade, Dawnbreaker and looked around.

"By Ysmir, what happened...?" Lydia mumbled, stepping down from the wagon and drawing her own blade. "The city!"

"Let's go!" Naspia bellowed. Arvak reared up and began charging up the hill toward Solitude. The gate had been battered open and the outer portion of the gate was strewn with mauled bodies. Some of them were Legionnaires, some were Solitude guards but then some of them looked to be Draugr. "Undead? Attacking a city? Something isn't right here."

"You mean besides the obvious?" Serana asked as Naspia stepped down from her summoned horse. As the undead steed disappeared, Naspia stepped into the city to see that the gates for Castle Dour were barred with archers on the roof tops.

"Is that the Dragonborn?" One of the Imperial soldiers asked form atop the wall. "Quick, open the gate!"

The gate shot open and Naspia and her party ran in. General Tullius was seated outside the door heading into the castle with his left arm bandaged and a few arrow stubs sticking out of his right shoulder.

"You're looking the worse for wear, General." Naspia said, walking up to him with a confused expression on her face.

"Dragonborn?" Tullius muttered, pain etched in his words. "I didn't expect to see you today."

"And I didn't expect to see that." She replied, jerking her thumb back at the corpse strewn city. "What of the townsfolk? And the Jarl?"

"We don't know." Tullius stated with a touch of shame. "We haven't been able to push them back and every time I order the gates opened they come back in a larger wave than before. The ones we killed already seem to rise up once more along with them."

"We'll see how well they accomplish that after dragon fire fells them." Naspia replied, turning to head to the Blue Palace. As soon as she left the gates of Castle Dour, the fallen Draugr were, indeed, rising back up. Naspia looked toward the main gate and saw at least a score more coming. Shaking her head, Naspia turned her head skyward and took a deep breath in. "_Od-Ah-Viing!_"

Naspia looked back toward the gate and took in another deep breath. "_Yol-Toor-Shul!_" The nearest few Draugr weer set alight and turned into ash within seconds. Serana closed with a small group of them and plunged her dagger into the skull of one, the fire enchantment on the weapon burning the undead creature to a crisp.

Lydia joined in, hacking limbs off with her own weapon while Tolfdir reduced the Draugr to smoldering ruin with destruction magic. In a few moments there was nothing left to the attackers and Naspia was pushing forward, toward the Blue Palace. Outside was yet another pile of corpses and the Thanes of Solitude stood shoulder to shoulder, looking haggard and disheveled, as did Sybille, the court wizard. Naspia greeted them and checked them all over.

"Is everyone relatively okay?" Naspia asked with concern etched into her youthful features.

"We're fine." Replied Falk Firebeard. "Most of the citizens made it to Castle Dour already and the rest managed to get here but..."

"But?" Naspia echoed.

"Look at the place." Sybille stated sadly. "Nearly half of our forces, Imperial and Solitude, lie dead..."

"They'll be avenged." Lydia assured her.

"She's right." Naspia affirmed. "We're going to burn all of these corpses and find out where they're coming from, then make sure there are no more bodies left to burn."

"Talos guide you, Dragonborn." Falk stated, ignoring the sharp gasps from the other Thanes at his blatant use of a heretical term.

* * *

Naspia and her party followed the Draugr corpses until they were all turned into piles of ash but fresh ones seemed to be coming in groups of five or more almost as soon as another group was burned down. Naspia looked back at her companions and the lot of them seemed exhausted beyond measure. Casius stepped forward, sweat lining his brow like a waterfall.

"Dragonborn, something tells me we're nearing our end of this chase." He stated, looking toward a small hill. "They are most likely coming from there."

"But that... that's Ustengrav." Naspia told him, shaking her head. "The Grey Beards sent there as my final test to be recognized as the Dragonborn. They couldn't be coming from..."

"I don't mean to interrupt but there's another group heading for us and they are coming from the place they can't possibly come from." Serana replied bitterly.

"That's... bad." Naspia muttered and charged into the group of them. Dawnbreaker's fury burnt through them like they were made of tinder and then she stood atop the mound leading into Ustengrav, staring at the closed doorway. When it began to open, revealing yet more Draugr stepping out, she took a deep breath in. "_Fus-Ro-Dah!_" She Shouted, blasting them back inside and slamming the door shut. "Casius, Tolfdir! Can either of you seal the door?"

"Of course, my dear." Tolfdir stated, waving his hands in front of him, casting a blueish green glow on the door in front of him. The doors themselves glowed for a moment and then locked. Naspia could hear the Draugr bashing against the door but they couldn't get the enchantment down. "That will hold them until a mage more powerful than myself manages to break it down."

"Then we should be alright, for there's no reason any mage of considerable power would want to open this door." Casius replied, taking a knee. "Gods I'm exhausted."

"No time to rest, Casius." Lydia told him, offering the man some water. "We need to get back to Solitude and tell the Jarl and General Tullius everything."

"She's right, I'm afraid." Naspia stated flatly. She reached into the small ruck on her back and handed Casius a green vial. "Here. This potion should restore some of your stamina."

Casius gratefully accepted the potion and drank it down, slowly rising. The party looked at one another, checking to make sure everyone was alright, consumed a few of their own potions and then began the rather agonizing trek back to Solitude on foot.

* * *

It was late. Very late. Naspia and the others had made it back to Solitude just after dusk. Gunjar met them at the gate and brought them to where the Jarl and Tullius were discussing what to do next. Elisif looked up to see the Dragonborn and let out an audible sigh of relief.

"What news do you bring back?" Tullius asked, his skin pale from blood loss. "I pray that it's good."

"Well... sort of." Naspia replied, shrugging at the two of them. "We traced them all the way back to Ustengrav, General."

"Ustengrav?" Elisif echoed. "So far away?"

"Yes my Jarl." Naspia replied. "Tolfdir sealed the door so that no more could come out and we burned every Draugr along the way, but there were more within trying to come out."

"This can't be a part of the prophecy, though." Casius stated. "Draugr can't be anything resembling the Eldest or Youngest."

"Prophecy?" Elisif asked. "What prophecy?"

"It's the reason we came here in the first place, my Jarl." Naspia informed her. "It's a long story."

"Well then if it's all the same I'd suggest telling it quickly." Tullius said.

"Very well." Naspia replied and turned toward Casius who nodded and then began going over the details of the prophecy.

"So what you're saying is the Dragonborn's actions caught the attention of something more powerful then even the World Eater, Alduin?" Tullius asked in disbelief. "Gods, I thought we were finally going to get the world to return to normal."

"Not quite yet." Naspia replied. "We meant to come here to attempt to get you and Ulfric to both agree to keep the non-aggression treaty going and possibly lend us aid in dealing with this issue."

"And what makes you think he'll agree?" Elisif asked, clearly not convinced.

"Kodlak Whitemane has promised to help me convince him." Naspia told her with a wide grin. "Ulfric would be a fool to disrespect the Harbinger of the Companions."

"Smart move." Tullius replied before looking over the map. "So, Dead Men's Respite, huh? I'll have a battalion of Legionnaires sent to garrison the area with a host of battle mages. That should keep anything from getting out of there long enough for us to figure this prophecy out."

Naspia nodded and said her good byes to everyone. Serana, Lydia and Tolfdir agreed to stay behind in Solitude in case another Draugr attack from elsewhere hit the city while Naspia and Casius began the long wagon ride to Windhelm. Naspia visibly shuddered as they passed by all the ashes of the legions of undead they'd had to kill that day.

"This is only going to get worse, isn't it?" She asked, looking at Casius.

"I'm afraid of the answer to that, Dragonborn..." He replied.


	3. The Enemy of My Enemy

Other than a few bandit highwaymen attempting to rob what they believed to be a noble coach carrying wealth, the trip to Windhelm had been uneventful. As they stepped down from the carriage at the stables, Naspia made sure to look all around. Casius cast a spell to allow him to sense the undead nearby but nothing was visible. No Draugr, no ghosts, not even a lone skeleton. With a sigh of relief Naspia lead Casius toward the main gate of Windhelm. A pair of Stormcloak soldiers immediately approached them, seemingly with a sense of purpose.

"Dragonborn!" One of them called. "You are here to see the Jarl, correct?"

"Yes, I am." She replied. "I assume the Companions are being well treated?"

"But of course." The Stormcloak replied and lead them into the city. "Been the talk of the town, you know. Not every day that the Companions come here in such numbers, letting people know the Dragonborn would be here, too. People are curious."

"Well we will have to leave it up to Jarl Ulfric to decide who is informed of our intentions." Naspia replied, giving the guard as sweet a smile as she could to show she didn't mean to be rude. If everyone knew what was going on a general panic could ensue, especially if they should learn of what happened in Solitude.

There were many people lining the streets and cheering as Naspia and Casius strode up to the Palace of the Kings. They were chanting 'Dragonborn' over and over again and Naspia suddenly realized this was the first time she'd visited the city since defeating Alduin. She couldn't help a slight blush and shy laugh at the huge amount of attention the entire city showed her. She politely bowed her head to everyone and waved, before finally making it into the palace and letting out a small sigh of relief.

"Didn't enjoy all the attention, eh?" Vilkas asked with a smirk as he strode up to greet Naspia. "You should get used to it. The Dragonborn is a celebrity as much as a fighter, now."

"I really wasn't expecting all of that." Naspia replied, walking toward Ulfric, nodding to each Companion as she passed them by. "Jarl Ulfric, thank you for hosting my fellow Companions."

"None would deny the Companions, Dragonborn." Ulfric replied dismissively. "Especially when they came informing me the Dragonborn has news I must hear. So tell me, what have you come to say?"

"Uhm... would it be at all possible to move this discussion to somewhere more private my Jarl?" Naspia asked, looking around at the multitude of guards who had shown up to meet with the Companions. "I have more news than I had originally and I don't think it is all for everyone to hear."

Ulfric nodded knowingly and held a hand up to the soldiers, giving them a simple wave. Those that didn't see it were ushered out by their fellow Stormcloaks, saying their respectful goodbyes to the Companions and bowing their heads to Kodlak in reverence. Once the room had cleared of everyone except for Ulfric's steward and Galmar Stone-Fist, the Jarl looked back at the Dragonborn.

"Right..." She said, trying to find a way to give voice to her thoughts. "I... I would like to ask you to continue postponing this war."

"I beg your pardon?" Ulfric asked, raising an eyebrow. "I was under the impression Skyrim was free to be liberated once the Great Black Dragon was slain. Did he... escape?"

"No my Jarl, but..."

"Then the war is back on!" Galmar shouted. "Ha! Ulfric, we can easily take Whiterun from those milk-drinking Imperials before they even know the Dragonborn's task is done."

"A moment, my friend." Ulfric replied, looking back at Naspia. "Dragonborn, please finish."

"Thank you Jarl Ulfric." Naspia said, bowing her head. "There's been a development of sorts. You see, this mage here has been granted information that was found within an Elder Scroll."

"Those accursed things!" Ulfric spat. "Let me guess. Skyrim is doomed, yet again?"

"Well... yes, Jarl Ulfric." Casius stated, stepping forward. He began to recite the prophecy and theory behind what was supposed to take place and noticed that the Jarl seemed to visibly become tired from the news. "But there is far more than that, now."

"And I am asking for more than just a temporary truce, too." Naspia stated, her tiny voice carrying a commanding weight to it. "I'm asking for cooperation with the Imperials."

"Are you mad, woman?" Galmar roared. "They force us to stop worshiping the very Divine that created the Empire and try to kill us for refusing to bend our knees and now we must befriend them?"

"I didn't say that!" Naspia retorted. "Once this new catastrophe is dealt with, you can go back to your war, but this is something I don't think I can do on my own..."

The last statement caught shock from everyone in the room. Ulfric stood from his throne and stepped closer to look Naspia dead in the eye.

"You seem scared, Dragonborn." He stated, his voice having an edge of fear to it. "What could possibly scare the destroyer of the World Eater?"

"I don't... I don't know. What I do know is this is too much for me to handle alone. Jarl Ulfric, I sent the Companions here ahead of me in the hopes that they would put you in a better mood, having warriors such as them in your hold. Underhanded, I know, but that's how seriously I'm taking this. They arrived before me because I ventured to Solitude first and what I saw when I arrived was shocking."

"What did you see?" Ulfric asked, concern etched into his features.

"The city was nearly sacked." Naspia told him. "Scores of Imperial soldiers and Solitude guards had been slain, their mighty gate ripped open, the great windmill burning... Legions of Draugr had attacked."

"Talos preserve us..." Galmar whispered. Though Solitude played host to the enemy of the Stormcloaks, it was still the capital of Skyrim and home to many Nords.

"When we cut them down, more would show up and those that were slain would rise once more." Naspia continued. "We began to burn them with magic and Voice until there were none left within the walls, but still we could see them coming up in groups to attack the city. I lead the few strong followers I had and began tracking their origin, burning every single one of them as we went."

"Did you find where they were coming from?" Ulfric asked, completely lost to the story now.

"We did. Ustengrav. Very near Dead Men's Respite, where the prophecy was to be taking place. A mage and friend of mine sealed the doors to the tombs and General Tullius has dispatched soldiers and battle mages to keep any more of the things from coming out. I fear it won't be enough."

"So you want me to send my Stormcloaks to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Imperials?" Ulfric asked. "To ally ourselves with them to ensure whatever this prophecy brings is toppled before it becomes something bigger?"

"Yes, my Jarl..." Naspia replied, bowing her head. "I fear if you don't help, it won't be enough. Even with the College of Winterhold and the Companions."

"And why do you think this?" Galmar inquired. "How can you alone not be enough when you defeated the Dread Serpent?"

"Because Alduin had to be killed as a part of this prophecy." Casius answered for her. "The Dragonborn is powerful in her own right, but many would be immortals are cut down, their works left unfinished because they thought one great deed made them unstoppable."

The gathering stood quietly for quite some time and Ulfric seemed deep in thought, clearly apprehensive about siding with the Imperials, even temporarily. The silence became deafening in its own way and Naspia couldn't help but fidget in place, shifting uncomfortably under the Jarl's gaze. It was not until Kodlak approached that the silence was broken.

"Ulfric, lad." The Harbinger began. "I think you know full well what needs to be done."

"Is that so, Harbinger?" Ulfric asked in response.

"It is so." Kodlak continued. "We have bowed our heads and allowed the Dragonborn to deal with an enemy that none of us could fight and ignored the rest of the task. This lass here has slain more dragons than there are stones in this great city, and how many have you slain? I can truthfully say that I've not bested a single one. It was only Alduin that was invincible to all but the Dragonborn, if the legend holds true. The rest could be defeated just like any other creature, save their souls never being consumed."

"And you feel that I would be dishonoring myself if I allowed this young warrior to carry all of Skyrim on her shoulders once more." Ulfric said, his voice nearly a whisper.

"Harsher words than I would have used, lad, but yes."

"Ulfric, forget what he said." Galmar stated. "She's the Dragonborn, dragons are her responsibility. Her duty! But this new foe that makes even her uneasy? This seems like the perfect way to show everyone out there that Talos is a true god and that he is with the Stormcloaks. We must crush this enemy to prove the righteousness of our cause, even if I have to headbutt this enemy to death until the end of time!"

Ulfric smirked and nodded, taking a seat back on his throne.

"Very well!" The Jarl of Windhelm replied, pounding his fist on the armrest of his stone seat. "The Stormcloaks will not be called cowards who let one person handle these dark times! Nor will we allow our invaders to be the ones to save us! Send the order. Hostilities against the Imperials will not resume until this crisis is dealt with. Give the order to all forces not garrisoned to defend our brothers and sisters. They are to march to Dead Men's respite and set up camps all over Hjaalmarch to watch for these undead and deal with them in kind."

"Thank you, Ulfric." Naspia bowed her head low, a huge weight seeming to lift from her shoulders. "I know this decision wasn't easy for you. I truly pray that I'm wasting your time."

"As do I, Dragonborn." Ulfric replied. "As do I..."

* * *

That morning it was apparent that word had gotten out. People watched the Dragonborn and the Companions marching out of the gates with apprehension and nervousness. The cheering had stopped and instead they all regarded Naspia with their heads down, looking up at her as though they were afraid to look at her. She gave them all as encouraging a smile as she could up until she made it outside the gates. It wasn't time to leave, yet, but she didn't want to stay within the city walls all day.

"Worry not, lass." Kodlak called from a ways back. "With the combined strength we're mustering to take this threat down, they'll be celebrating you again in no time."

Naspia looked back and gave Kodlak a fake smile. She wanted to believe the old man, but she had a terrible feeling down in her gut that this was something she was not ready for, even after facing vampires, dragons and Deadric princes. Although those things were powerful and evil, for the most part, they were still very straight forward. She didn't even know what she would have to be fighting here and it bothered her to no end.

"So Casius does this prophecy involve any outside sources?" Naspia asked, attempting to take her mind off of her own fears.

"I'm not sure I understand, Dragonborn." The Synod mage replied.

"Well necromancy is obviously involved, otherwise these Draugr wouldn't be attacking. Necromancy implies... well... necromancers, obviously. So..?"

"To my knowledge, Dragonborn, no." He replied. "Necromancy has been legal for centuries in Cyrodil, but it;s still highly frowned upon. And to raise... so many undead. Who could be so powerful?"

"And even worse, if it is a necromancer, or a group or whatever, who could they be in league with?" Naspia whispered.

"What are you going on about?" Aela asked, crossing her arms. "You sound like you know something."

"Well, I couldn't possibly know for certain but... well, I took a trip while fighting against the vampires. A trip to a place called the Soul Cairn. This place... this awful place. It's like the opposite of Sovngarde. The only souls that end up there are the ones sacrificed by necromancers and the necromancers themselves. It would take communing with the denizens of the Soul Cairn to raise so many undead. It's the only explanation."

"You visited this place?" Casius asked, his voice shaking. "In the flesh?"

"I did." Naspia replied, sighing at the memory. "Because I am living I couldn't enter properly. It tried to kill me, you see. But Serana thought up two different ways to get me inside. One was to turn me into a vampire..."

"Which you quite clearly refused." Vilkas stated, shrugging as they walked. "So what was the other choice?"

"See that's just it..." Naspia said and stopped walking. "I didn't refuse. I let her bite me. Let her try to turn me. My dragon soul... it refused to be changed. It killed the vampire blood that had entered my body. So we went with the only option available."

"One worse than becoming a vampire?" Farkas asked, receiving an elbow from Aela.

"The other option was to have a portion of my soul trapped within a soul gem and offered up as payment for entry." Naspia told them. The others gave her looks that seemed so judgmental. They regarded her with terror and disgust before they realized that Naspia had no other options.

"Truly, lass, you have given up far too much in your young life." Kodlak told her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "So you had to leave a part of yourself behind?"

"No." Naspia replied, slowly shaking her head. "We went into the Soul Cairn to find Serana's mother. We were forced to destroy three powerful beings called Keepers that were responsible for keeping her penned up. After Serana and I destroyed them, we had to face a dragon that was forever bound to the Soul Cairn so that Serana's mother could aid us. Afterward I felt a... resonance. I followed my instincts and came upon a small fortress. Fighting our way past a few undead creatures, Serana and I managed to find the soul gem that had that portion of me sealed away. I took it back and we left the Soul Cairn."

"I imagine that didn't go over well with whatever Deadra ran the place." Skjor stated.

"There were no Deadric princes for that realm." Naspia told them. "It was the realm of the Ideal Masters, as they're called. I think maybe breaking their toys, stealing their treasure and taking back my own payment angered them."

"Even so, this changes nothing, Dragonborn." Casius replied. "And no one has to know of this. After all, it isn't your fault. How could you have possibly known?"

"I should have known better than to think I could cheat beings that powerful..." She sighed, her eyes giving away a look of pure regret. "I pray Talos will watch over me as I set things right."

"As we set things right, lass." Kodlak said, squeezing her shoulder gently and then beginning to walk again. "You've saved this world, what is it? Three times now? I think the world can help save you just this once."

Naspia smiled at Kodlak's sense of humor, though it didn't reassure her as much as he probably meant it to.


	4. Put the Past Aside

Naspia was exhausted. She'd been forced, merely out of being polite, to stay up very late into the night. Ulfric, Galmar and every Stormcloak soldier within the city walls wanted to hear the story of how the Dragonborn defeated the great Black Dragon. Unlike the Companions, however, they did not know Naspia or her modest nature and so she was constantly interrupted by one of the Nords demanding more details. She'd made sure to keep from rolling her eyes at some of their questions, even though asking if he was stronger than the other dragons, or if he were bigger. She'd even been asked about what color the sky over Sovngarde was, though that question didn't annoy her, happy that spilling blood wasn't the only thing the soldiers cared about.

Once she did get away to rest, hours after the sun had set her sleep had been plagued with a nightmare. Try as she might, Naspia couldn't make sense of it. Worst of all was just how real it felt to her. It was though she were there, living through it and she couldn't tell if this nightmare was just more plaguing from the Daedric Prince Vaermina or if it actually had something to do with the prophecy that was slowly unraveling.

It had started with Naspia standing in the Hjaalmarch, somewhere within the borders lined by Dead Men's Respite, Ustengrav and the other Nordic ruins. She could see a man, robed and hooded with his face obscured. Surrounding him were three gigantic monsters similar to things she had faced before. There was a Dwemer centurion at least twice the size of the ones she had seen before. Then there was a being clad in Daedric armor, her only guess being some form of massive Dremora, wielding a blade and shield. And last, there was a dragon, though it had no flesh. It was mere bones, yet it seemed to be far from brittle. The hooded being lifted something above his hands, but what, Naspia couldn't tell. All she knew was that it gave off some strange, blue-green glow that cast its light one everything around.

Suddenly, all at once the centurion, Daedra and dragon attacked the hooded man, but before a blow could be struck from any of them, their bodies began to shift and contort. The bone dragon was lifted off of its feet and its own body began to press down upon itself. Naspia's ears were assailed by the sickening sound of bones snapping and grinding against one another. Then the centurion began to grow so hot Naspia swore she could feel its warmth, even though she knew she was dreaming. Molten dwarven metals began to bubble and seep as the mechanical beast melted away. Dozens of tendrils of liquid bronze began wrapping around the contorting skeletal dragon that was, by now completely unrecognizable. The Daedra began to burn away, as though it were made of paper and lifted its head up to the heavens. It let out a scream that sounded like thousands of small children and the heat of the centurion were forgotten by the chills that shot up Naspia's spine. The ashes created a smokescreen, thick and dark around the hooded man and the three dying monsters.

There was a deafening clap, as if a bolt of lightening had struck Naspia on the head and the force of it knocked her down. When she rose and looked to see what had become of the four figures, she was utterly confused. The hooded man stood, unscathed by death reels of the three beasts, but that was not the concerning thing about him. Naspia felt true fear, the kind she had not felt since she first came to Skyrim, when she saw another person standing beside the hooded one. Its features were distorted and she could not tell if it was a man or a woman. She couldn't even tell if the being next to the hooded one was Man or Mer.

It was only now that the two of them took notice of her. The hooded man pointed at Naspia and she could hear his whispers, though she couldn't hear what was said. The creature next to him glared at Naspia with bright blue eyes that seemed, to Naspia as though tiny pieces of the sky had been given to the creature to see with. Before she could even draw her blade, the monster charged at her and the sheer terror that she felt ripped Naspia from her dream.

She had been sitting up in the bed she had been given by the Jarl for hours, pulling her knees to her chest and shivering. Naspia looked around at the others in the room, hoping she hadn't screamed and woke them. She gave a soft sigh of relief to find that they were all still fast asleep. Naspia set her bare feet on the cold ground and walked past the sleeping forms of the other Companions, warm in their beds and seemingly untroubled by nightmares, though the members of the Circle stirred a bit in their sleep and didn't look at all restful. Staring out the window, Naspia decided she would watch the sun rise, hoping it would comfort her as it used to when she was younger. Clouds, unfortunately, had rolled in the night before and blocked the sky out, preventing her from getting the view she wanted.

Naspia jumped at the sound of knocking at the door, still on edge after her dream. Vilkas had been closest to it and woke immediately. He rolled his shoulder a few times and then stood to answer the door, giving Naspia and confused look when he saw she was already up and on the opposite side of the room from her own bed. Vilkas shrugged and opened the door, nodding at the Stormcloak who was there to greet them.

"Apologies, Companion." The soldier stated. "Jarl Ulfric would like to know if you all be joining us for our march to Hjaalmarch, or if you would be meeting us there? Kodlak Whitemane is with our troops already."

"What say you, Naspia?" Vilkas asked, turning back to the Dragonborn.

"If you want to leave with the Harbinger, don't let me stop you." Naspia replied. "I have one more person to speak to before I make my way to our destination."

"Is this person here in Windhelm, Dragonborn?" The soldier asked of her. "If so I will send for them at once."

"No, I'll be heading to the Reach for this." She told them and gave Vilkas a knowing look. "And I'll be going alone."

* * *

Naspia watched from Kynesgrove as the Stormcloak army began moving west. From this distance it was difficult to spot them all, but Naspia could pick out the Companions in here and there. She smiled, knowing that their road would be fairly safe, and even if they were assaulted, the attackers would get more than they bargained for.

She waited until the Stormcloaks were gone, not wishing to aggravate them or scare them anymore than they might be already. Once everything was clear, she climb the mountain, making sure to get as far from the city and settlement as possible. Once clear, she took a deep breath in, lifted her head up and Shouted.

"_Od-Ah-Viing!_" Naspia called out, shaking the ground with her Thu'um. After a few seconds the Dragonborn heard a roar, unmistakable to her, of the first dragon she had bested in battle and not killed. He also became, in Naspia's mind one of her closest friends, though she had her doubts about him feeling like she was friend to him. He respected her because she had a Thu'um stronger than Alduin's, but in his eyes she was still a joor, a mortal.

"You have called, Dovahkiin?" Odahviing inquired, landing next to Naspia with a heavy thud. "I see no enemy for us to defeat. What is your purpose for bringing me here?"

"I was hoping you would honor me with... transportation, _fahdon_." Napsia stated nervously. She'd never asked to ride Odahviing, having been offered the chance once simply to face Alduin. "I have somewhere I need to be, and quickly. There is something wrong in Hjaalmarch."

"I know this, Dovahkiin." Odahviing replied, looking up into the sky. "We _dov_ are far more attuned to the powers of the world when compared to the _joorre_. I have felt a... gather of magical energy in the place you call Hjaalmarch."

"What do you make of it?" Napsia asked him, looking up at the old dragon with anxious eyes. "Do you know what could be approaching?"

"_Krosis Dovahkiin_. I have no true way of knowing. This force, whatever it is, has already begun to rival the magical energies I can... smell emanating from the place you know as Winterhold."

Naspia was confused for a moment until she realized he meant the College. If Odahviing was right, that would mean that the power building in Hjaalmarch was equal to that of... whatever the Eye of Magnus truly was.

"I know that place is the source of the minuscule magic power in Skyrim." Odahviing stated, clearly unimpressed with the mortal world's attempt at spell casting. "And I know there is a power there that your kind here in Skyrim cannot control. But this manifestation in Hjaalmarch... I'm sure I have felt it once before. I just can't recall when."

"You've felt this power before?" Naspia reiterated mainly out of shock. "Well you can't remember when, but do you remember where? Or better yet what it was?"

"_Krosis_, I do not." The dragon told her, shaking his head. "At least not what it was. What I can tell you is I felt this power before the _dovah_ came to Tamriel. Back when we flew over the skies of Akavir."

"You're saying this power you felt is Akaviri?" Naspia asked in a bit of disbelief. "The Empire of Tamriel has defeated their invasion attempts so many times, though."

"Your recorded histories are not old enough to make that comparison, _Dovahkiin_." Odahviing told her. "Though I know not specifically when, I know that for such a thing to be forgotten it will have been when I was very young, indeed and during my early years, Dragonborn, I knew fear. The creatures that walked the lands of Akavir were far more powerful during those ancient times. Even the kingdom of men that once resided there was strong enough to threaten a dragon."

"I thought the Men of Akavir was just a legend." Naspia replied with a shrug. "Either that or they were all destroyed or eaten by the other species that ruled there."

"And that may be so, but this was after we _dovah_ came to this land. I know not what transpired during the those times. All I know for certain is this power growing in your Hjaalmarch is like what I felt all those thousands of years ago."

"Would Paarthunax know?"

"Possibly. It is clear, though, that this enemy assailing you has a mastery of the _Alok-Dilon_. Perhaps the other who has given you his name can be of better assistance. But we waste time with this conversation, _Dovahkiin_. We should get you to where you are destined."

Naspia nodded and climbed atop Odahviing's back. With a huge rush of air, the dragon lifted them up and shot into the sky.

* * *

Delphine stared out at the Reach coated in a layer of sweat. She had been training with the latest recruits to the Blades and they were getting better. She still had to take on three of the at a time for the fight to be fair, but still, they were improving. Now she was relaxing while Esbern regaled them with his ancient Dragonguard lore. The last thing she had expected was a massive red dragon to land on the stone work right in front of her.

"By Talos!" She spat, falling backwards as the dragon roared into the sky. She drew her blade, a weapon of ancient enchantment that seemed to pierce dragonflesh like it was any other creature.

"Stay your weapons, _joorre_." The dragon commanded, causing Delphine, Esbern and the other Blades to hesitate. "I bear the Dragonborn. She would speak with you."

Naspia hopped down from Odahviing's back, placing a hand on his scaly snout and bowed her head.

"Thank you, Elder." She stated gratefully. "I can handle things from here."

Odahviing nodded and dropped down the cliff, gliding on the air stream created by the wind tunnel effect of the canyon. He shot back up into the sky and within seconds was out of sight.

"So..." Naspia began, turning back to Delphine. "Am I still unwelcome here?"

"Considering Paarthunax is still alive, yes." Delphine replied with an annoyed expression. "I thought we made that quite clear, Dragonborn."

"You did, but things have changed." Naspia shot back. "I had hoped you would too."

"You refer to this prophecy in Hjaalmarch?" Esbern asked, stepping forward. "Oh, don't worry about how we know of it. The Blades have always been good at these clandestine sort of information gatherings. But it seems you've managed to bring together the two largest factions in all of Skyrim, even while they were at war with one another. I daresay you shouldn't be needing us, Dragonborn."

"Man power and true power aren't the same thing." Naspia told the old man with a sad look in her eyes. "Please, just hear me out."

"Very well, Dragonborn." Delphine acquiesced. "What is it that you think only we can help with?"

Naspia sighed with relief and told them all in as specific detail as possible about her dream. She even went into great detail about the heat from the melting centurion or the brutal chill of the Daedra's screams. Even the creature, whatever it was had been described, though almost solely by its haunting blue eyes.

"As interesting as all of that is, how are we supposed to help with this?" Delphine asked. "What do you think that we could do that no one else could, Dragonborn?"

"It's not so much that you can do what no one else can." Naspia replied. "It's just that I know you can take down a dragon better than anyone else who's coming to help me."

"I think I understand." Esbern stated. "You want us to face this dragon from your dreams, yes?"

"That's right. I don't know if this dream is part of the prophecy or not, but I can't simply ignore it. If a dragon is part of this prophecy, I'd like you help in dealing with it."

"And the other two giants?" Delphine inquired. "Dragons are things we've been training to fight. Centurions are doable, though they're very tough to take down, but we don't really know much about fighting Daedra. Not since the Oblivion crisis."

"I'll worry about the Daedra." Naspia replied. "I've had some experience with them since my time here in Skyrim. As for the centurion, the armies of Skyrim should be more than enough for it, no matter how big it is."

"Very well then, Dragonborn." Delphine looked back at the other Blades and gave them a nod. "Looks like we'll have ourselves some real fun."

"About time." One of the Nord Blades replied. "Been training for months, now. I want to test my blade against their fire."

"In due time." Esbern told him, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "But do not be so eager to preform this task that you lose sight of the larger picture. Now then Dragonborn, is that all you require?"

"Yes, it is, thank you." Naspia replied, lifting her hand up and shooting a spell into the ground. Arvak, her undead horse came up in a puff of purple clouds and she mounted the horse, giving the others a small smile. "Thank you for this. I know we don't see eye to eye on certain things, but I still consider you all friends, even if the feeling isn't mutual."

"Dragonborn..." Delphine began but Naspia had already turned and leaped off of the cliff face. As she disappeared the Blades heard a loud '_Feim_' as Naspia became ethereal, her horse being a ghost already not suffering any damage as she landed harmlessly on the ground and sped off toward Hjaalmarch. "I swear, she's like a child sometimes. Friends, pfft."

"You forget, Delphine." Esbern told her, stepping forward to watch the Dragonborn ride off. "She is only twenty-three years old, and her childhood was spent with her parents on the run from the Thalmor. Devout in her worship of Talos, she never got the chance to grow up properly. Or perhaps she had to grow up too soon and is living out her childhood now. Either way, do not be too quick to judge."

"What are you, her grandfather now?" Delphine asked, stalking past the old man and headed inside to prepare for the journey to Hjaalmarch.


	5. Things That Can't Be Controlled

The road to Hjaalmarch had been uneventful in every sense of the word. No bears, no wolves, not even a bandit had attacked her, which was surprising considering she had to trek through half of the Reach to get there. Still, Naspia didn't think this welcome surprise was a good omen. If anything it made her that much more on edge.

As she approached the camp several Stormcloaks and Nord Legionnaires bowed their heads to her, but she waved them off. She didn't like people showing her a different level of respect simply because destiny and fate had thrust themselves into her life. She smiled politely and bowed her head back so as not to dishearten the men and rode past them, heading for the massive array of tents and hastily erected archery towers.

At the center of this display was a tent larger than the long houses of the Jarls that had no walls for their city. Naspia dismounted Arvak, the spirit horse galloping away a few paces before disappearing altogether. As she stepped into the tent one of the Imperial soldiers announced the Dragonborn's presence. She was not at all surprised to see that Esbern and Delphine had beaten her there. Naspia had spent almost an entire day of the travel at an abandoned shrine to Talos, pleading with the Ninth to offer her some insight but she had received none.

"Ah, Dragonborn." Ulfric greeted. "I'm glad you finally arrive on the eve of this prophecy."

"Yes, I'm very sorry." Naspia replied honestly. "I had a bit of soul searching with one of my own before coming here."

"It's of no consequence." Tullius stated, knowing full well that she meant she had communed with Talos. "I'm sure you took notice of our set up but I'd like to show you the plans Ulfric and I have drafted to..."

"You worked together?" Naspia asked, dumfounded. "Willingly? Without me to Shout and throw a fit?"

"We are, neither of us fools, Dragonborn." Ulfric snapped, the hint of a smirk on his face. "When two great enemies are forced to come together to solve a greater problem, differences can be temporarily set aside."

"And you will notice that there are no Thalmor here, Dragonborn." Tullius informed her. "It's a lot easier to be reasonable when there aren't any daggers pointed at your back."

"Glad to hear it." Napsia replied and nodded at the two Blades in the tent. "And I assume you've been told why they are here?"

"We've told them everything, Dragonborn." Esbern stated, a groan issuing from Naspia's lips. "I assumed you didn't want to worry them needlessly in case it turned out to be nothing, but you must understand, Dragonborn, if this prophecy requires those three key creatures to come forth, we'll want to be able to destroy them quickly so they cannot be used against us."

"So it's a good thing we're here." Came a voice from behind Naspia. The Dragonborn turned quickly to see it was Casius, flanked by a pair of heavily armored mercenaries, if appearances were anything to go by. "Dragonborn, the two men here are cultured and civilized, despite their choice in apparel."

"I'm so sorry!" Naspia exclaimed, not realizing the look she had given the two men told exactly what she had been thinking. "I didn't mean to assume that..."

"No apologies necessary." One of the men stated, holding a hand up. He was clad in armor made from Dwarven metals and they were clearly enchanted. Powerfully so, in fact. "My name is Gabriel. As you can plainly tell, my armor is fashioned from the metals the Dwemer so famously utilized. These I crafted myself after scouring countless Dwemer ruins and learning how dangerous they can be."

"So, if some kind of Dwemer construct were to appear, he would be the best man to deal with such a problem." The second man stated. Though he was equally clad in heavier armor, his was quite clearly forged using the secret techniques very few but Naspia knew. Molded from pure ebony and 'blessed' with the blood of a Daedra's heart, the armor's appearance was as intimidating as its power was strong. "And I can see by your appraising eye that you have made armors such as this before."

"I have." Naspia admitted. "Though mine was never as impressive as this."

"I thank you." The man replied. "I forged this armor, and enchanted it with the aid of the Synod when I agreed to study the Daedra and help them understand their power. I've fought hordes of Scamps, scores of Clannfear, a fair share of Daedroth and more Dremora than you can shake a stick at. Though I could give off a list of titles people have thrown at me just for being good at killing things, you may simply know me as Cruscius."

"And seeing that you have brought the Blades here as well, it would seem all is in order." Casius stated calmly. "Expert dragon slayers and two warriors who are without equal in their knowledge of their own aspects."

"How did you know to bring them here?" Naspia asked curiously. "There could not have been time for you to track them down after hearing about my dreams."

"Oh, you misunderstand, Dragonborn." Gabriel began. "Cruscius and I were in Skyrim already. Sure, my expertise lies with the Dwemer while my friend here has studied the Daedra, but to hear of dragons flying over Tamriel? We had to see for ourselves. I was in Hammerfell when I first heard about these great beasts."

"And I was in Elsweyr." Cruscius told them. "But curiosity got the better of me and I had to come. After all, before being given any true knowledge of what the dragons were, I had assumed they were manifestations of one of the Daedric Princes. Sheogorath was my main guess, mainly because of the insanity this whole thing had caused."

"And then you found out differently." Naspia finished for him.

"Quite right."

"Well then, Dragonborn, care to look over the plans?" Tullius asked once more, gesturing to the map on the large table that dominated the tent.

"Yes, I think I will." Naspia replied, stepping forward to review the strategy.

* * *

Cold nights were as common in Skyrim as a person taking a breath in. Even so, that night seemed to have a bitter chill to it that nipped at the tiny bits of her skin that the dragonplate armor left exposed. Her armor, heavy as it always was, felt even heavier. Naspia had gotten used to wearing over the three long years since Helgen and usually she didn't even notice she was wearing it. The very air seemed thick and choking.

As Naspia looked around, she couldn't help but feel that the others were feeling it as well. The Legion troopers shuffled in their heavy armor, making a soft clinking noise that seemed like a fear filled anthem to the coming morning. The Stormcloaks grumbled among themselves, complaining of 'the waiting' that so many warriors hated going through just before battle. Even the Companions, Blades and Mages were affected by it, the lot of them oddly silent. Serana wasn't as talkative as she normally was either and merely paced back and forth restlessly.

The sun had gone down a while ago and Naspia felt midnight closing in on them. Casius, Gabriel and Cruscius were the only ones who seemed calm in this. Naspia imagined the two warrior scholars simply had too many brushes with death and things that could take their souls to be afraid of any fate that could befall them. Casius, though, she didn't understand. His nerves seemed steady, but his demeanor was all seriousness. She wished she had his confidence in their success.

Midnight was marked, it seemed, by the prophecy itself. All around knew that Waking Day had dawned when the very ground shook beneath them. The Arch-mage shouted something but Naspia couldn't quite make it out. It mattered little.

All around the gathering armies a pillar of black light shot up from the entrances to nearly a dozen Nordic ruins. It was clear to all that the seals the master wizards had placed upon the doors had been shattered when the skulking silhouettes of the Draugr that had been sealed within began pouring out of the ruins like a wretched black tide.

Many of the warriors, Legion and Stormcloak alike threw down their weapons and wept, while others began raving madly as if the very fabric of their sanity had been shattered at once. Naspia felt her own courage falter, though she was somewhat relieved to find that it was a mass army of the undead that they were up against, rather than a single powerful monster.

The Dragonborn's heart stilled and she began to inhale deeply, bringing as much air to her lungs as she possibly could. The world around her was in utter turmoil and, though she was loath to do it, she realized the only way to rally the men and women was to force them to find their courage.

**_"GOL-HA-DOV!"_** Naspia shouted up to the heavens, her Voice reaching the ears of every living soul mustered in the Hjaalmarch to fight this menace. The Shout was known in the mortal tongue as Bend Will, but rather than use it to take control, Naspia simply 'bent' their willpower back to the way it had been, strengthening their resolve. All at once she heard a massive rallying cry that had started off small and then grew to a near deafening crescendo.

Tullius and Ulfric were side by side, staring into the force of Draugr that were pouring at them from Dead Men's Respite, looking like opposite forces of nature working together. With rivaling war cries, the two men charged forward, their generals behind them and the rest of the army behind that. The battle had begun.

* * *

Naspia found herself in some of the thickest fighting she had ever seen. Or heard of, for that matter. In the first few moments that Dawnbreaker had been brought from its sheath, Naspia had burnt through at least three dozen Draugr, but still they pressed on. Naspia reached into a satchel on her belt, pulled out a saber cat's eye and ate it. The thing was disgusting, having the consistency of a half melted grape, if such a thing could actually happen. At any rate, it left her feeling regenerated and she was able to push back into the horde of undead that were sweeping in from nearly everywhere.

The casualties had been great initially. Naspia was terrified that she might have encouraged the armies too much with her Shout and they had abandoned the strategy altogether in their spiritual vigor. Soon enough Ulfric and Tullius rallied their men while the Companions and Mages held the enemy at bay the best that they could. Naspia's had to Shout so often her throat was becoming dry and her voice hoarse but she knew she couldn't let up, even for a moment until the others had rallied.

Thankfully she didn't have to wait long. As soon as her Voice gave out a hail of arrows fell down and began dropping the Draugr in waves. With that, Naspia finally allowed herself to take a few steps back, allowing for fresh troops to hold off the stemmed tide of undead.

"Naspia, girl, head back and let a healer rejuvenate you." Kodlak told her, stepping in front of her. "I can see the weariness in your bones through the look in your eyes, lass."

"I... yes Harbinger." Naspia replied and slowly made her way back, throwing a ball of fire into a dense group of Draugr before she went. As Naspia began moving toward the tent that housed dozens of Restoration mages, she caught sight of Casius, Gabriel and Cruscius who had been forced to do exactly as she was now. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yes Dragonborn." Casius replied with an exhausted smile. "Only minor injuries and extreme fatigue. We will manage, I assure you..."

Casius' words died on his lips as he looked past Naspia. She turned around and was able to see exactly what caught his attention. Three dragons had turned their gaze to the battle from wherever they'd been flying and it seemed they wished to test their Thu'um against the might of the two clashing forces.

"This is not good..." She whispered. Her nightmare had not been forgotten to any, but the fact that three dragons had appeared gave everyone pause.

"Maybe not." Gabriel stated with a challenging grin. "But I've been waiting to see if these bat-winged snakes can hold a candle to the Dwemer automatons I've faced!"

"Indeed." Cruscius joined in. "I wonder if the Champion of Mehrunes Dagon can boast facing one of these creatures? I guess we'll never know."

"Temperance, my friends." Casius urged them. "That darker one is hanging back. I see strategy to them."

"The _dovah_ are highly intelligent creatures, Casius." Naspia told him as she gratefully accepted a potion brewed by one of the alchemists, rather than await the slow affects of the healing magic from the Restoration schooled mages.

Naspia watched as the two lesser dragons dove down, Shouting fire into the Draugr and living alike. Men, Mer and Draugr all burned together in a roiling sea of flame. It was then that Naspia caught sight of the Blades pushing forward. Naspia rushed to their aid, standing side by side with Delphine and Esbern as they readied the others.

"Dragonborn, you still use that one Shout?" Delphine asked hopefully.

"I haven't since Alduin, but I do remember it." Naspia replied, taking a deep breath in. "_Joor-Zah-Frul_!"

The Shout caught the nearest of the two orange dragons and he fell to the ground, crushing dozens of Draugr underfoot. As the undead surged forth to fell their newest enemy, the dragon lashed out with wing, tail and jaws, crushing, swiping and tearing them apart. Then the Blades charged forth. Delphine drew her sword and leaped forward as the other blades began swiping and jumping back, scoring dozens of lacerations across the dragon's flesh. Delphine managed to leap onto its back, raise her blade up and thrust down, piercing the dragon's flesh and snapping its spine. Naspia knew it was dead when she felt the soul of the dragon enter her body, rejuvenating her.

_"Dovahkiin!"_ The greater of the three dragons roared. _"Grind him dinok!"_

With a gust of wind that sounded like a thunder clap the dragon flew down at Naspia and the blades but the arrows and spells that assailed him were too great. The dragon flew back up into the sky, cursing the mortals for their strategy. The younger dragon seemed far more ill tempered, though it was not focusing on the Dragonborn. Its eyes were on a pair of warriors and a mage who had been yelling taunts and challenges at it.

"Come on then, you big scaly snake!" Gabriel roared with laughter on his voice. "Come test your knowledge of battle with mine!"

"Because I know you are too fearful to do battle with me!" Cruscius mocked.

The dragon roared, ignoring the bellowed orders of its elder to hold and soared toward the two warriors. And then suddenly Naspia's heart felt as though it had stopped. Time seemed to move so slowly she could experience Eternity in mere seconds. Casius pushed between the two warriors, causing them to stumble and reached into his robes. In his hand Naspia could see a black soulgem, or something exactly like it. It could have been described as beautiful if she were capable of thinking of it as that. Casius pulled his arm back and hurled the soulgem at the dragon as it came and she could see his lips moving, but she didn't know what was being said. The dragon devoured the soulgem and landed in front of the three with Casius being surrounded by them all.

Naspia's blood ran cold as she began to live her nightmare manifest in front of her. Casius had an evil looking grin spread across his face as he finished his incantation. The legions of Draugr halted their attacks and fell dead. It wasn't as though a blow had been struck to all of them simultaneously. They simply dropped where they stood, truly dead once more.

"You are a fool, mage." The young dragon spat, venomously. "You cannot house my soul within that stone of yours."

"Well of course not." Casius replied with a chuckle. "That gem was already filled."

The dragon looked as though it were about to reply but something caught its speech. Its flesh began falling off in sickening slumps, exposing the nearly indestructible bones underneath that seemed to be disolving and blowing around them all, as if they were made of dust that had gotten caught in a rotating gale.

"Fool, what did you just do!?" Gabriel bellowed, knocking Casius aside. He swung a massive Dwemer warhammer at the stone that was floating in the center of this bonemeal tornado, just as Cruscius swing at it the other way with a Daedric mace. The two of them connected and all around were assaulted by the sound of screams so agonized that it was as though the two men were screaming at once for a thousand years of torture.

The soulgem shattered where it floated and an ethereal cloud hung where it had just been. The cloud began to congeal the bone dust together, pulling it into a human skeleton form. Gabriel's armor began to glow brightly as it apparently heated up for unknown reasons. The pain on his face was so great Naspia wanted desperately to look away but she couldn't. Something kept her staring at the horrific scene. Cruscius' flesh began peeling away, one layer at a time, as did his armor and began molding itself to the skeleton form while the molten metals of Gabriel's armor began snaking long tendrils into the flesh.

The slowly forming monster fell to its knees and let out a scream that shook everyone there. Many of the soldiers began fleeing in random directions, others so terrified they turned on one another and began hacking at friends as though they were mortal enemies. It sounded just like it had in Naspia's nightmares, yet somehow so much worse in the flesh. Gabriel and Cruscius had finally dissolved altogether, their screams dying on the wind as hot smoke began forming around Casius and the monster. Naspia fell to a knee, overwhelmed by the terror that gripped her as the smoke became so thick she couldn't see the figures within it anymore.

All at once the screaming changed, from the voices of thousands of children to the voice that seemed to belong to a single person. The smoke wisped away abruptly and Naspia took the sight in as calmly as she could as she rose to her feet.

Casius stood there, unscathed but he was clearly shaking, either from fear or excitement. Next to him was what appeared to be a young man, not much older than Naspia if his appearance was anything to go by. His hair was darker than ebony, his skin almost as pale as snow. He was dressed in armor that looked a lot like the armor the blades wore, but it seemed, somehow, far more ancient. And then there were his eyes. Just like she had remembered them from her nightmare, his eyes were a shining, bright blue, glowing unnaturally. Naspia stumbled with her thoughts, unsure how to proceed when she heard him speak.

"_Kolos Zu'u?"_ The man was asking where he was. His very voice seemed to radiate power and Naspia felt it cause her heart to flutter sporadically with every syllable. _"Wo'los hei?"_

"Numberless apologies." Casius replied to the man. "But I do not understand this language."

"Truly? And yet I somehow understand yours. Strange. Very well then. Where am I? Who are you?"

"Ah, but of course, ancient one." Casius replied with a smirk. "My name is Casius and I was, up until now a mage for an Empire that you will never have heard of. You stand in Skyrim, a province of that Empire on the continent of Tamriel."

"Continent?" The man asked. "You mean we are not in Akavir?"

Naspia couldn't understand what was going on. Akavir was a continent filled with beastmen who were constantly warring with one another, if the books were to be believed. The so-called Men of Akavir were supposed to be wiped out thousands of years ago.

"No my new friend, we are not." Casius answered. "You will find that this continent, indeed this very Age is nothing compared to your own. Magic runs weak in the blood of the mortal races and dragons here are feared, rather than tamed."

"While I am grateful to have been pulled from that hellpit, I must ask why I have been given this new body? And why it feels... different?"

"Simply put? Your flesh has rotted away and your bones have become dust. I had to prepare a new body for you, but I thought why not build you an even better one?"

* * *

Naspia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Casius had tricked her. He'd tricked all of Skyrim. He'd brought these armies here for this purpose, but why? Was it the only way to lure Gabriel and Cruscius? Were they the only ones he could sacrifice?

"Your bones are made from those of the dragons." Casius continued with a smug grin, though the man was looking at the assembled army that was merely watching him, as was the ancient dragon flying overhead. "As such, you may wish to take care when speaking in the dragon language. Or rather, your ancient language, I suppose."

"Why is that?" The man inquired, looking back at him.

"Well, if your ability to converse with me is anything to go by, I would think that you have the knowledge that all three sacrifices held added to your own. Your very Voice could be used to destructive ends. Your flesh is that of the Daedra, and as such you are likely to be immortal... well, if you aren't already, that is. Your blood is the molten metal used by a now extinct race known as the Dwemer. I'll go into more detail about them shortly, but right now I need your assistance."

"With what?" The man asked but Casius ignored the question. He cast an Alteration spell about his throat, projecting his voice loud over the hordes of assembled men and women, still gripped by their terror.

"Children of the Empire!" He began. "Warriors of Talos! Hear my words. I have brought here, before you all a force that you cannot possibly hope to stand against. Throw down your weapons, cease your pointless warring among yourselves! Bend your knee to me and I shall lead you all on a glorious campaign to rebuild the Empire, better, stronger than it ever was! Or die here, forgotten."

The soldiers had all seemed to recover somewhat, though many were only brought into new madness at the realization of what they had done in their terror griped mania. Still, of the force that was left, there were thousands of men and women who looked up at the mage as if he were insane.

"Sorry, mage!" Galmar shouted over the crowds. "As nice as that all sounds, this winter's chill is really playing up with my old joints. I'm afraid my knee doesn't feel like bending!"

There was a roar of laughter from those who had not lost their minds and they had gathered their weapons back up, prepared to hack the mage down if he and his single ally made to attack. Then Casius turned to the man and Naspia cast the spell Clairvoyance to read the Synod mage's lips.

"Akonus Akavir, betrayed son of Akallai Akavir, false son of Akatosh." Casius said, gaining an angry glare from the ancient one. "You are mine. I have bound you to my will for this exact occasion, and many more I am certain. Destroy those fools."

"You think you can command me?" Akonus demanded, the power of his dragon bones giving strength to his voice. All could hear him and many began mocking Casius for his folly. "I am the son of the king of Akavir, Akallai! I am the grandson to the Ehlnofey! The blood of gods flows through my veins. Who are you to command me?"

"I am the one who bound you back to the mortal plane. If I will it, you can be returned to the Soul Cairn, and this time you won't have that magical crystal to keep the Ideal Masters worst torments at bay. Now destroy them!"

The ancient Akaviri looked down at the assembled army and shook his head.

"I will not take the lives of warriors who have never wronged me. I will, however, defeat your enemies for you."

"Fine by me." Casius replied. "Perhaps merely displaying your power will bring them into my fold. Show them your power, thrall."


	6. The Power of the Ancients

Akonus Akaviri glared angrily at the mage, Casius, but nodded his head obediently. He did not know how long his soul had been trapped within that accursed Stone of Padomay or how long he had been within the Soul Cairn, suffering at the hands of the ones who called themselves the Ideal Masters. Their names had changed slowly over the countless millennia, but the agony remained the same. Akonus didn't want to admit it, but he had no choice other than service. He wouldn't go back to his torment, no matter what.

He took a step forward, then another. Then another. He built up to a jog as his arms and legs remembered how it felt to move and soon he was sprinting, unarmed at the mass of warriors before him. The cold breeze against his face was the most refreshing feeling Akonus had ever felt, the crunch of the ground beneath his feet the most reassuring. Even if he was, for the moment in the service of an honorless dog, at least he was alive again.

Naspia watched as the Akaviri, Akonus charged at the assembled army. The Companions had joined with the Legion and Stormcloaks in their mocking, but Arch-mage Savos looked concerned. The other mages weren't exactly as excited as the warriors around them who began charging forward to meet this single attacker, if anything else than just to share in the laughable memory.

"I have never met a man who held so much power you could taste it on the very air." Savos stated flatly. "And I wouldn't expect such a man to throw his life away, even if it were to escape the service of another..."

"You mean to say the Akaviri thinks he can defeat us all?" Naspia asked, nervousness tainting her voice.

"I mean to say that whatever he is, he believes with every fiber of his being that he cannot lose." Savos replied. "But he has also stated he will not kill anyone. I believe it best to see and if he lies, then we intervene."

"You know well enough that I can't do that." Naspia told him. "But I hope you and the other mages will still do so. I don't think the others here have such perception, otherwise they wouldn't be so eager to test Casius' theory."

With that, Naspia surged forward to join in the attack.

* * *

Akonus' eyes danced across the line of attacking soldiers. They weren't going to try at first. He could see it in their eyes. They didn't seem to believe that he was as powerful as the mage believed. It didn't matter. Akonus knew he would have to put them in their place, and then he would be free to learn more of this mage's plots and how he could free himself from this new master.

The gap between the Akaviri prince and the warriors of Skyrim grew smaller and smaller until finally the closing of the gap was heralded in by violence. Akonus leaped into the air, walking across the shoulders of the first few lines of warriors to land in the middle of the whole lot of them. Swords, axes and blunt weapons of all shapes and sizes flew in at Akonus, but these warriors were slow, brutish things. There was no grace to their movements, no fluidity to their attacks. They were like children playing with toys that were too big for them. Akonus easily ducked, rolled or parried the attacks, his eyes playing across the battlefield in a blur of constant motion.

He laid eyes upon the leaders who were shouting the orders. Once he knew where to strike, he changed from defensive to offensive faster than anyone else could see. His fists and feet became a whirlwind, his eyes a tempest. All around him steel buckled under the weight of his blows and the warriors were thrown from their feet, either unconscious or in too much pain to get up.

Iron bent, ebony cracked and bones snapped under the ferocity of Akonus' attacks, but he never landed a killing blow. It was difficult, actually, to keep from killing the enemies with his attacks. They felt so fragile, he almost felt bad for them. But they had pushed the attack, not Akonus. Had they simply fled, or bent knee to the mage, they would have been spared the pain long enough for the Akaviri to kill the mage without repercussion.

Akonus spun on his heels, actually having to use some measure of effort to dodging the attack of quite possibly the smallest of these warriors he'd seen thus far. The glowing, golden blade of the bone armored woman slashed at him with a speed that was still entirely too slow, but outclassed every other warrior he had faced today by a very high margin. He reeled his fist back, ready to strike at her, but it seemed the woman had been paying attention and did something Akonus had not expected but managed to react to it all the same.

_"FUS-RO-DAH!"_ Naspia Shouted just before the Akaviri's fist could connect with her. She watched as he flew back several dozen meters and landed on his feet as though he had anticipated it all along. He dusted himself off and smirked as though he enjoyed being hit with the Shout.

"Impressive." He stated, standing in a clearing with every single one of the warriors now hesitant to close with him. "From whom do I have the pleasure of hearing my native language?"

"My name is Naspia." She replied, removing her helmet to look Akonus in the eye, even if she couldn't help but be fearful of them. "I am Dragonborn."

"Dragonborn?" Akonus asked with a smile. "Ah, _Dovahkiin_. I see. What my father would have given to be able to use the Spoken Power. I am told that I can do the same, now that the soul of the dragon whose bones are now mine has given me its knowledge. But how to test it."

"Let loose!" Tullius shouted over the battlefield. Akonus looked up, his eyes darting this way and that as the sky was flooded with arrows and he counted each individual one.

_"Wuld-Nah-Kest!"_ Akonus Shouted, propelling himself toward Naspia, dodging the arrows completely. "If only I'd had this power before I died..."

_"Su-Grah-Dun!"_ Naspia shouted in turn, moving faster to counter the punches and kicks that Akonus threw, but the barrage was still dizzying. Realizing she would need to use everything she had just to stand up to this guy for long, Naspia used a shout to slow everyone around as well as another to better trade blows with the monstrous strength assailing her. _"Mul-Qah-Diiv! Tiid-Klo-Ul!"_

Akonus was amazed at the speed as well as power that the Dragonborn was able to strike back with, but he knew it would not be enough. She was tiring. He could see it in her eyes.

"_Dovahkiin _you have made this first experience in my new life very enjoyable." Akonus told her with a smile. Moving faster than Naspia could see he planted his foot into her chest and propelled her into ground, creating a small crater as he did so. The Akaviri prince knew she would survive the blow thinks to whatever those Thu'um were, but she would be winded and in great pain. "I hope you and I can fight again when you are not tired from previous battles."

Naspia glared up at him, her face distorted with pain. She tried to throw a snappy, immature come back at the ancient man but her breath caught in her throat and she began choking, the pain causing her whole body to shake.

"Akonus, enough!" Casius commanded, satisfied that Imperials and Stormcloaks alike now feared the mage's new pet. "Secure our escape."

Akonus spat on the ground and glared over his shoulder at the mage. Naspia was transfixed, even through her pain at the Akaviri's eyes. What made them glow like that? What did they see that normal eyes didn't? She wished, desperately that she would never find out, even if the answer proved helpful.

"Dragonborn, please convey to your comrades that it has been a pleasure to face you all in honorable combat." Akonus stated with a smirk as he snapped his feet together and bowed his head. "I wish you a speedy recovery and hope I didn't hurt anyone too badly."

With that Akonus used the Whirlwind Sprint shout again, looking back towards Casius to direct the rapid movement. Landing next to the mage Akonus made sure his contempt for the man was visible on his face.

"Well now, I've seen that the dragon bones have granted you the ability to Shout, just as I thought." Casius stated arrogantly. "And it would seem your skills as a warrior are godlike. But I wonder, how are you with magic?"

"Why do you ask such a foolish question?" Akonus demanded, already growing tired with the insufferable mage.

"I merely wish to see it with my own eyes, slave prince." Casius retorted with a laugh. "So, get us to safety, magically and I shall be satisfied."

Akonus sighed and clasped his hands together, palms touching and fingers pointed up. Fire engulfed the two of them in an instant and then just as quickly it was gone. Had Naspia not seen it with her own eyes she wouldn't have believed it.

"By Ysmir, what in the hells was that?" Vilkas snarled, his shield split in two. "What foul magics give a man the ability to move in such a way?"

"Did you not hear them, Companion?" Mirabelle Ervine asked. "He is an ancient being."

"So what?" Vilkas demanded. "What does having old bones have to do with moving faster than the lightening cracks of Shor's blade?"

"You just said it yourself." Savos told him. "If what that wicked man, Casius said was true, that warrior is the grandson of Shor's people."

"So how do we stop him?" Naspia asked, the pain in her chest finally dulling enough to let her get up. She looked down at her armor, seeing dozens of hairline cracks across it.

"I believe you are the answer to that, unfortunately." Savos replied, casting a Restoration spell at Naspia that began to push the aches away. "Your Shouts allow you to move faster, hit harder and take more damage. I can't think of anyone else who can pull off such a feat."

"I thought as much..." Naspia muttered feeling suddenly exhausted. She slowly got up, knees shaking and began limping over to where the majority of her friends had gathered to tend to the injured. Looking back over her shoulder, she couldn't help but shudder. How could one man defeat so many on his own? The Draugr had not done nearly as much damage, physically or emotionally, as Akonus had done.

* * *

"Glad to see you're alright, lass." Kodlak's haggered voice stated from within one of the healing tents as Naspia came in. Kodlak was stripped of his chest plates and a massive bruise covered his entire left shoulder, painting a sickening purple down his left arm and half of his chest. "Don't you worry about me, Naspia. I'll be alright. You, however, need some attending to."

Naspia realized she probably looked terrible, but she shook her head, smiling at the old man and departed. She couldn't worry about her own healing while so many others were out there in pain, possibly dying. Besides, Savos had dulled her pain enough to make it bearable. She limped forward, suddenly aware of pains all over her body, not just her chest and sighed.

* * *

Casius fell to his knees, he was laughing so hard. He had expected the prince to be powerful, but never so powerful as to humiliate the Dragonborn.

"Akonus, my friend." Casius stated as the flames around them died away and they were standing within a Dwemer ruin. "I believe this shall be the start of a beautiful partnership."

"That will end just as abruptly, cur." Akonus snapped.

"I don't quite understand this." The mage continued, raising his eyebrow as he looked Akonus over. "I brought you from the Soul Cairn itself and I know for a fact I spoke the incantation perfectly... How are you not bound completely to my will?"

"You are a bigger fool than I thought. Do you truly believe the Ideal Masters were okay with your plot? You think they would allow you get away with ripping my soul from their grasp?"

"I suppose they would be angry that they've lost such a powerful soul. You were their prized possession, weren't you? Always within their grasp, but your soulgem always kept them from getting to you."

"Why do you think those legions of the undead rose from their graves?" AKonus demanded angrily. "The Ideal Masters wanted to foil your attempts to bring me back into this world."

"And thanks to the Dragonborn and the influence she has over this whole nation, they were stopped." Casius told him with a chuckle. "Now, let's stop wasting time, Akonus. Next time I give you an order, be it to kill someone or to cook me some soup, you will do exactly as I have said or you will be sent back to the Soul Cairn, and this time without your damned protective stone. Do we understand one another?"

"Perfectly." Akonus told him, his voice low and utterly filled with hate. Casius smirked as the ground rumbled for a moment and then subsided.

"Save your petty displays of power and keep your emotions in check." The mage ordered. "We have a lot of work to do. Tell me, now, with all of that knowledge Gabriel had at his disposal before he died, do you know how to make this thing work?"

Akonus looked up at the brass device and scanned it with his glowing blue eyes. Suddenly knowledge came flooding into his mind as things that at first seemed subtle were now obvious. Nobs and buttons jumped out at him that moments ago had seemed like aesthetic pieces. He looked down on a pedestal and suddenly readable commands and functions for the device appeared.

"Yes, I can get it to work." Akonus replied. "With time, that is. Your man Gabriel had enough knowledge of this device for me to know what I shouldn't do."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning if I pull the levers and push the buttons in certain ways, we would be incinerated." Akonus informed him as he set his hands on the console. "A failsafe, you understand. And before you say anything, no I won't trigger it on purpose to kill you. Though I could definitely survive a little fire, something tells me if you die, I will too."

"Yes, that's correct." Casius stated, raising an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

Akonus looked up at him with his bright, glowing blue eyes, as if the look answered all, and then smirked, returning his attention to the console. Casius knew he would have to watch him the moment he realized the prince was not truly bound to him, but one way or another he was deciphering magics that Casius had done his best to keep well hidden. And those damned eyes of his. Why did they glow like that? He didn't like the man, and as soon as he found out how he would bind him permanently.

"I assume you already know what this does?" Akonus asked as he fiddled with the machine. "I may know how to work it, but its purpose is unclear to me."

"As a matter-of-fact I do." Casius replied with a menacing grin. "This particular ruin was lost to the sea centuries ago, and as such none are a live anymore who can remember it. Luckily Gabriel had been so desperate to see this place that he begged me to use my Alteration magics to remove the water from this building, or else I never would have found out about it."

"So we are under the sea, then?"

"Quite. The only part of this whole ruin that isn't submerged is sealed by my own magic. Sure, a more powerful mage might be able to break the seals, but they would first have to know where to look to even find this place, then navigate to it. Your teleportation was very helpful in getting here without forcing myself to reseal this place."

"You haven't answered my question fully." Akonus replied, not wanting to be kept in the dark about what he was doing.

"Ah, true. This ruin is much like a few scattered throughout Tamriel that were known to be forge cities. While you are my champion, you are not an army capable of taking and holding."

"This device will breathe life into these forges? To do what? Build arms and armor for your soon to be followers?"

"I forget how old you truly are." Casius replied with a guttural laugh. "You lived and died long before the Dwemer empire, but were reborn long after they were gone. You've never seen the automatons. Let me show you."


	7. What Power Knowledge Holds

Naspia's body still ached terribly. She'd had three broken ribs and a nearly shattered clavicle after a single blow from the Akaviri prince. Similar stories were shared by nearly everyone, and similar aches were still felt, even after a week had passed since that night.

After lots of arguing and a battle almost breaking out between the two forces, Tullius and Ulfric decided that the truce was going to be prolonged even further, much to their own annoyance. Naspia had breathed a little easier at that, but then again, she knew the two men couldn't risk open warfare with a rogue mage and a man who seemed to be invincible threatening all of Skyrim. It was after the truce had been prolonged that Naspia decided she would travel with the other mages of the College of Winterhold, back to the College grounds for her healing, as well as some investigation.

"You may be Dragonborn, but the same rules apply to you as everyone else still, got it?" Urag gro-Shub bellowed from behind his desk in the Arcaneum. Naspia couldn't help but smirk at the grumpy old Orsimer and strolled over to him, leaning on the counter top. "So, you come here looking for some ancient magic to keep from getting your rear end handed to you again?"

"Actually, I was looking for a bit of history." Naspia replied. "Anything we could possibly have found, even if its poorly translated or aged."

"What sort of history are we talking about?" Urag asked with peaked interest.

"Ancient Akaviri royalty."

"Well now, that is an interest I've not had a student take since... ever." Urag informed her, seeming legitimately happy that someone was interested in something other than Elder Scrolls and shooting fireballs from their eyes. "I don't have much on the subject of royalty, but I do have a lot on their legends and myths."

"Great." Naspia muttered. "Books about legends about myths of ancient legendary myths."

"Actually, yes, that's an accurate way to describe it." Urag replied, clearly not picking up on her sarcasm. All the same, he stood up and went to one of his secret locked doors and pulled three tomes that literally looked like they should have fallen apart centuries ago. "And I think you'll find in our experience, legends and myths have some bit of truth to them. I'd wager legends created by the Akaviri do mroe than any others."

Naspia bowed her head politely and took the three books over to a chair in the Arcaneum and set two of them on the desk next to her. She wasn't at all surprised to find that the cover was written in the language of the dragons. She pulled the cover open and delved in, struggling a bit to translate the words of the book. Urag watched her, noticeably impressed that she was able to read it herself.

* * *

Naspia couldn't tear herself away from the book. The stories it told were incredible, and hardly believable. It told of the Men of Akavir, named after some king by the name of Akallai Akavir. This kingdom was nothing like the ones she'd heard myths about from other books. This kingdom was the greatest on all of Akavir. The Men there were far more powerful than any of the other races that walked the land, and many of them were capable of facing dragons one-to-one.

"This book can't be right at all." Naspia stated flatly, rolling her eyes. "This seems to be more of a well written fiction."

"How can you come to any type of conclusion without finishing the damn book, child?" Urag asked, his opinion of the Dragonborn dropping back to her being nothing but some girl who blundered about the place.

Naspia sighed and read on. After hours of reading about how the Akaviri Dynasty waged hundreds of years of war with the dragons in an effort to tame them, something called the Divide was discussed. She couldnt' find any real details in the story about the Divide. Merely that the king of the Akaviri sacrificed something to some sort of demon for great power, and in the process started the downward spiral of his people. Naspia gently set the book down and reached for one of the others, hungrily searching through it for any information on the Divide, but none was to be found. The same was true of the third and final book.

"Master Urag?" Naspia called, bringing the books back to him. "The first book tells of something caleld the Divide, but the other two made no mention of it. Have you ever heard of such a thing?"

"The Divide, huh?" Urag asked, shaking his head. "Yeah, I've managed to read up on it, but only minimally so."

"What did you learn?"

"Only that the Akaviri king bit off more than he could chew." Urag told her, grabbing the books to return them to the safety of their strong boxes. "Filled with the desire to not just face down the dragons but to tame them and bring them to his cause, he sought dangerous means of acquiring power."

"The Daedra?" Naspia asked, making Urag stop in his tracks.

"You know... that's so simple. I never thought that this would be the case, but yes. What I read described the one the king made the bargain with as a demon and Daedra have been called as much, and worse."

"Bargain?" Naspia echoed. "You don't suppose Clavicus Vile had a hand in it, do you?"

"I doubt it. Clavicus Vile never backs out of a deal. He just twists the terms in the end. No, this Daedric Prince, if it truly is one of them to blame, was described as out right betraying the king."

"That's just great..." Naspia groaned, receiving a confused look from Urag. "I can think of only one being in existence who would know the identity of this Daedra. He covets all knowledge, as it were."

"Now you listen to me." Urag bellowed, startling Naspia. "I am all for you pursuing knowledge, becoming powerful and saving the world, again. But Hermaeous Mora cannot be trusted. He will ensnare you in his web of knowledge and you will end up a husk, a shadow of your former self, wandering his plain of Oblivion in an endless search for more knowledge."

Naspia shook her head and went over to the one book case she'd been given the key to. The magical seal around it had impressed everyone at the College and, though he wouldn't dream of trying, not even Tolfdir would have been able to breach it. Naspia, however, bypassed it without a problem and reached inside. Urag's heart stopped for a second as he realized what it was she held.

"You... you have the Black Books?"

"Not all of them." Naspia replied. "I... acquired them on my trip to Solsthiem. Long story short, I fought an ancient Dragonborn, who was Hermaeous Mora's old champion. After I beat him, the Daedric Prince granted me a wealth of knowledge."

"What makes you think he'll share any more of his knowledge with you?" Urag demanded, clearly not convinced. "What could you possibly have to offer him in exchange?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling he'll tell me what he wants." Naspia replied thoughtfully as she set one of the Black Books on the desk and went to open it. "Look, if I thought there was another way to do this, I would go with it, but there isn't one. So, please, just trust me. And if something happens to me, close the book and lock it away. Do not read it."

Urag made to protest but he heard the determination in Naspia's voice and so he merely nodded his head silently. Naspia took that as the move to go ahead and she pulled the book open and let her eyes dance across the first few letters. Before she'd even read the first word the world went dark.

* * *

The Apocrypha was never a welcoming place. An ocean of acid spanned this realm, filled with writhing tentacles, ready to beat or rip apart anything foolish enough to get close. She could see, off in the distance, the Seekers, floating, monstrous looking magical creatures that she was certain had once been human. Their dealings with Hermaeous Mora forced them to wander Apocrypha endlessly searching for knowledge, their minds broken by the Daedric Prince. Naspia was broken from her thoughts by a mass of tentacles and floating eyes appearing before her.

"Ah, Dragonborn, my champion." The Daedric Prince, Hermaeous Mora began in his slow, inquisitive tone. "I have not asked for your presence here. I can only assume that you want something from me."

"That's correct." Naspia replied, staring up into the biggest of the floating eyes. "I have questions."

"Indeed. And I have answers. I know the knowledge, you seek, but what could you offer me in return?"

"What do you want?" Naspia asked, dreading the answer, especially when the Daedra began chuckling.

"I know why it is you seek this knowledge." He informed her. "And I know who it revolves around, as well. You seek the knowledge you need to defeat someone who has no equal on the mortal plain. To kill him, perhaps?"

"If it's necessary." Naspia told him.

"There in lies the problem, my champion. You see, the old prince of Akavir has knowledge that has long been forgotten. Knowledge that I want. If you kill him, the knowledge dies with him."

"So you want me to use what you give me to defeat him, but ensure he lives to reveal these secrets to you."

"Precisely, Dragonborn." Mora told her. "And believe me when I say that these secrets are even more valuable to me then the ones you gave to me from the Skaal. These secrets are from a time well before their existence."

"Very well, I'll make him tell you his secrets." Naspia agreed. "Now who was the Daedric Prince that the king of Akavir spoke to that caused the Divide?"

"Ah, you are more knowledgeable than I had predicted, Dragonborn. And you will find the answer to that in Whiterun."

"Whiterun?" Naspia asked. "What could possibly be in Whiterun that would tell me the answers I seek?"

"Speak to Ysolda, the woman you helped obtain the inn. Ask her about the rumors that plague that city and you will find your path, as clear as the day."

Without anything else to go by, Hermaeous Mora disappeared and Naspia glared at the pit he had come from. Reaching behind her, she began reading the book again to depart from the Apocrypha.

* * *

Naspia snapped out of it and blinked a few times, looking up at Urag who was as pale as she'd ever seen an Orc.

"Did you get the information you wanted?" He asked her warily.

"Not exactly." Naspia replied. "He seemed intent on feeding me horker dung of mystical, run-around talk. All I was given was that I needed to learn about rumors floating throughout Whiterun."

"That seems odd." Urag agreed, shaking his head as Naspia returned the book to the sealed shelf and locked it back up. "What could possibly be in Whiterun that would give you any type of clue?"

"I don't know, but I plan on finding out. Thank you Master Urag. You've been most helpful, as always."

"Don't mention it, kid." He replied as Naspia left the Arcaneum, bounding down the stairs. "Damn girl is going to get herself killed..."

* * *

Akonus watched as more and more mercenaries came into the ruins. Casius had forced the prince to use what he kept calling 'Old Magic' to make the ruins accessible to these pirates, thieves and sellswords, believing that Akonus would keep the place safe from any invasion. The Akaviri prince obliged him, magically lifting rock from below the sea and building a small island with it around the entrance to the ruins. The whole process had taken nearly a week, but Casius had been dumbfounded by the prince's power. With that, he hired on mercenaries by the dozen, ordering them into Dwemer ruins to bring him back as much of their bronze metal as they could carry.

Akonus watched as the thirty or so bandits brought the metals in on carts, or carried them in their arms and began tossing them into the massive smelter that had been deeper into the facility. The giant melting pot liquefied the metals until and then let them run through a series of rather intricate cuts in the stonework that allowed the metals to flow to where they needed to in exactly the amount required. Akonus was shocked that a species so intelligent could have been wiped out by anything, but Casius had been vague on the details of the Dwemer's disappearance.

"Remarkable, is it not?" Casius asked as he strode into the room. "With these simple metals, this machine and the vast collection of soulgems I've acquired over the years, we can build an army as great as any in Tamriel and all without having to worry about the blood of our men being spilled."

"Your metal men will spill enough blood to make up for it, Casius." Akonus replied, looking down at the automatons that had already been built. It had been the first day of production and already dozens of spider like metal creatures were scurrying about. Even more impressive, at least to the mage, was that they listened to his commands. Akonus explained with knowledge he was only just finding out he had, that the automatons were made to respond to the orders of those that built them. Since there were no Dwemer alive today, the metal creatures that had only just been built had no knowledge of their original masters.

"With luck our enemies will see the might of our created army and surrender immediately." Casius told him. "With an army of Dwarven automatons and you at their head none shall be able to stand against us."

"Hey boss, that's the last of the shipment." One of the bandits stated, walking up to them. "Anything else you need before we head out to round up some more?"

"Hmm... yes, actually." Casius replied with a smirk.

* * *

Naspia hopped off the wagon as it approached the gates of Whiterun, handing the driver almost twice the usual rate. She had promised him extra coin for getting there quickly and the man had certainly delivered. They'd arrived, coming all the way from Winterhold in just under half a day, so as far as Naspia was concerned the man had earned his coin.

Thanking the carriage driver, Naspia made her way into the city, walking with purpose toward the Bannered Mare inn. Many people tried to stop her to ask questions, but she politely told them she was in a hurry and opened up the door to the inn. Ysolda, the only other red head besides the Dragonborn in Whiterun, smiled and waved at her.

"It's a fine day with you around." Ysolda told her. "What brings you to the inn, Naspia?"

"Oh I was..." Naspia began, then realized it wasn't best to tell Ysolda and Daedric Prince had mentioned her by name. She had no desire to worry the poor woman. "I was just back in the area and I decided to see how you were getting on, here."

"Really?" Ysolda asked with a smile. "Well, I'm doing great, actually. The inn has been bringing in more and more paying customers since I took over. I've even had to turn some people away, unfortunately. If I had the room I'd make the inn bigger once I saved up enough gold, but the Jarl isn't likely to knock some of the wall down to accommodate the space."

"Yeah, probably not." Naspia agreed. "But I'm glad to see that business is going well for you."

"And I have you to thank for it." Ysolda told her. Something about the way she said it made Naspia feel a little flustered and break eye contact for a moment. "So how have things been with the mighty Dragonborn?"

"Oh, it could be worse, I suppose." Naspia replied. She knew Ysolda had heard about what happened in Hjaalmarch. Anyone who hadn't in all of Skyrim had to have been living under a rock.

"I'm glad you can stay optimistic." Ysolda said, gently placing a hand on Naspia's. The Dragonborn looked up at Ysolda, turning a light red and suddenly realized that maybe she should have changed her story a bit. It seemed she had given Ysolda the wrong impression. "When I heard what had happened I was worried something might have happened to the savior of Skyrim."

"I don't think that's a fitting title." Naspia replied with a laugh. "But no, I'm fine now. Promise."

"Well... um. Good."

"So, what's been going on around the city?" Naspia asked, hurriedly changing the subject. "Any exciting rumors? Apart from another end of the world scenario, anyways?"

"Well, I heard that Jarl Baalgruf's youngest son is having some issues." Ysolda told her, removing her hand after realizing it was making Naspia nervous. "He been saying some dark, violent things from what I've overheard."

"Really?" Naspia felt like this was exactly the information she had needed. After all, children don't just start saying things that give adults chills. "Maybe he just needs someone to talk to."

"Sounds like a perfect job for you." Ysolda told her with a smirk. "As I understand it, you're great with children. The whole town was talking for days about how the Dragonborn played hide and seek with the kids around here. I have to admit it was one of the most adorable things I'd ever heard."

"Oh, well..." Naspia stammered, her cheeks turning red once more. "I was just trying to enjoy my day is all. I figured no one knew how to have innocent fun like a bunch of kids."

"Well either way lots of people have been jokingly stating how they wish you'd start babysitting." Ysolda teased, sliding a mug of mead over to a Nord who'd approached the bar. "At any rate the Jarl's children will likely be in bed by now. I have a room available still, if you want to stay here for the night. Free of charge, of course. You're the reaosn I have this place, after all."

"I couldn't take from your business like that, Ysolda." Naspia protested but Ysolda shook her head.

"I insist, friend. It's the very least I could do."

Naspia smiled and nodded her assent. The two of them sat at the bar counter a good while longer, talking about what had been going on in Skyrim before the incident at Hjaalmarch until Naspia decided she'd had enough with Ysolda's obvious flirting and pretended like she was heading to bed. She bade Ysolda goodnight while the innkeeper began to lock the place up and headed to her room.

* * *

An hour or two had rolled by before Naspia had finally come close to some form of sleep when a soft knock at her door roused her.

"Come in." Naspia called, her hand hovering close to her dragonbone blade. The door opened slowly and Ysolda stepped in. "Oh, Ysolda, what is it?"

"There's someone at the door for you." She replied, looking over her shoulder. "He said he would wait around back but said it was urgent he spoke with you..."

"I thought you'd locked up." Naspia replied, getting out of the bed.

"I did, and was fast asleep when something woke me." Ysolda told her nervously. "For some reason I felt the need to check the front door and when I did, he was there."

"What did he look like?" Naspia pressed, throwing a tunic over the loose furs she had worn to bed.

"Mmm... black hair. Skin paler than snow. He wore a strange kind of armor. I've never seen it's like before. And something was definitely wrong with his eyes."

Naspia's heart caught in her chest. She looked over at Ysolda and shook her head.

"Ysolda, stay here." Naspia told her. She looked like she was about to protest but Naspia pressed her finger to the woman's lips and shook her head. "Stay here."

Naspia grabbed her blade and ran down stairs, flying through the door and looking all around. There were no buildings burning, no dead or beaten bodies in the streets. It was a quiet night out. She rounded the inn and there, sitting down and... was he meditating? Naspia shook her head in disbelief. Somehow that Akaviri prince had made it into Whiterun without raising any alarm or causing any kind of fuss.

"If you're here to threaten my friends..." Naspia began but was stopped when Akonus raised a hand.

"Please, Dragonborn." He began, standing up and looking her dead in the eye. Naspia couldn't help but feel that his eyes weren't glowing nearly as bright as they should have been, but still it felt like his gaze was piercing right through her. "I am only here to talk."

"Sure you are." She replied sarcastically, blade held ready.

"Strike me down if you must, Naspia but I'm not actually here." He told her. "This is a mere apparition. A magical being of energy that I have created specifically so that I could speak with you. I wouldn't be surprised if the knowledge of how to do such things was lost long ago. It wasn't popular in my day."

"What do you want?" Naspia demanded.

"As I said. I wish to speak with you. I believe we can help one another."

"And why should I trust you?"

"Because I could have killed you and everyone else the night of my rebirth." Akonus told her. Somehow it didn't seem like a threat. It seemed closer to just him pointing out a fact.

"Fine... How can you help me?"

"Well, in truth I can't help you until you've helped me, plain and simple. I am forced into the service of this mage, Casius merely because I will not allow myself to be sent back into the Soul Cairn. However I have, so far, refused to take a life. I fear that he will find a way to bind me, soon, and in so doing strip away my free will."

"Which means he could, potentially, force you to kill anyone he deemed a threat." Naspia finished. "How exactly am I supposed to help you?"

"That I don't know." Akonus admitted. "I never had an interest in _Alok-Dilon_. I'm certain, however, that you can find some sorcerer who is well verse in raising the dead and ask him or her."

"And what exactly am I supposed to ask them?"

"How I can be released from this curse. Casius has not bound me to his will, yet, but he keeps me on a leash because he can send me back to the Soul Cairn in an instant. Killing him isn't the solution to my problem, as that would just send us both back together, so I need you to figure out how to sever his connection to the Soul Cairn. Can you do this?"

"What's so bad about the Soul Cairn for you that I should help?" Naspia demanded, stepping forward.

"Well... I suppose you have no vested interest in it, but personally I did not find it all that pleasant. Have you ever been?"

"I have..."

"Really? Surprising. I assume you ventured there while still living, yes? At any rate, the Ideal Masters yearned for my soul but they couldn't take it. I was trapped, you see, within a stone that housed my soul. Their tortures, however, could still get inside."

"You expect me to believe that you under went agonizing pain to your soul for thousands of years?" Naspia asked. "And even after all that, you still don't want to destroy this world for allowing you to go to it?"

"This world is not responsible for my death and soul imprisonment." Akonus replied nonchalantly. "But yes, that was my hope. I do not require an answer, Dragonborn and I have no more time. Do this for me and Casius will fall. Refuse and I might just destroy you against my will."

Akonus began to glow, just as his eyes did and it looked as though he were about to say something else, but before it came out he flickered and disappeared. Naspia fell back against the wall, trying to figure out how all of this insanity had fallen into her lap. Shaking her head, she stood and decided that she needed to finish her task at hand before she undertook another one. But before she even did that, she needed to sleep.


	8. The Blade of Betrayal

**Finally figured out how to review my stories and see that people had viewed them. So, thanks to all those who viewed this little tale and a special thanks to the two who added this story to their watch list. I hope you enjoy the future posts because there's a lot to come.**

* * *

Naspia stepped down into the main portion of the inn, with the hearth and bar and greeted Ysolda. They talked very briefly about what happened the night before and Naspia assured her over and over again that everything was alright and that there was nothing to be afraid of and any other encouraging thing she could come up with. Eventually Ysolda nodded and submitted to the Dragonborn saying she'd Shout any bad guys that came to Whiterun into the dirt. As Naspia left Ysolda gave her a hug that was a little longer than the Dragonborn was comfortable with but she said her goodbyes and left immediately. As sweet a woman as Ysolda was, Naspia wasn't into women. She regretted her choice of words when she saw Ysolda the morning before, but she couldn't let on why she was really in Whiterun.

Naspia walked up the steps to Dragonsreach and pushed the door open. The housecarl, Irrileth and the steward Proventus were arguing again, which always made Naspia giggle. Sure, they argued over a serious issue, but it would never change with them. The Jarl continuously rolled his eyes at the two of them until he took note of Naspia and stood.

"Dragonborn, so good of you to visit." Baalgruuf greeted, a genuinely happy look crossing her features. It was no secret that Naspia looked up to the Jarl like he was a father figure. Of course, she also looked up to Kodlak Whitemane, Eorland Grey-Mane, Esbern and Master Tolfdir the same way. They all seemed all too happy to help mold the young Dragonborn and she was always greatful for their input. "What brings my might Thane to my halls today?"

"I overheard something that I'd like to assist with, my Jarl." Naspia replied, stepping closer. "Something involving one of your children, I fear."

"Ah yes..." Baalgruuf replied, rubbing his temples. "That. It's my youngest, Nelkir. Boy's become very... dark. I want to talk to him, but he refuses to speak to me. Maybe you can talk to him? I heard about how you spent the day playing games with the children in town once before."

"My Jarl, I would love to help you with this." Naspia replied in earnest. "In dark times such as these, we can't allow innocence to die."

"That was... very well said, Dragonborn..." Balgruuf replied, watching as Naspia strolled upstairs to find Nelkir.

He hadn't been hard to find. Nelkir had been up stairs, at a table over looking the main hall of Dragonsreach. When Naspia approached he whipped his head around and gave her one of the dirtiest looks she'd ever seen.

"Another wanderer, here to lick my father's boots." He stated. "Good job."

"And a fine hello to you, too." Naspia replied, taking the seat opposite Nelkir.

"What do you want?" He asked, looking away from her.

"I just wanted to talk. You looked upset. Something bothering you, buddy?"

"I'm not your buddy, lady." Nelkir snapped. "And no I don't want to talk. Don't you have something useful to be doing, like being burned alive by a dragon?"

"Is that any to talk to someone?" Naspia asked, giving the boy a sad look. "And what's with this lady business? Just because I'm an adult doesn't mean I'm a grown up. I was playing hide-and-seek with the kids in the Wind District not even a month ago."

"Oh, that was you?" Nelkir asked, turning and looking back at Naspia. "I guess you can be trusted, then. Can... can you keep a secret?"

"You kidding me? I know so many secrets I could write a book about them! Good ones, too."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"I wouldn't be keeping a secret if I told you, would I?" Naspia asked with a smirk.

"That was a test and you passed." Nelkir replied happily. "This castle is full of secrets. And they're good ones, too."

"Oh, please tell me." Naspia pleaded playfully. Sure, she was on an actual mission, but humoring children always made her happy, especially when they liked her enough to try and get her to play with them. "I'll just die if you don't."

"Well..." Nelkir's voice got really low and he leaned in to whisper to Naspia. "I know my dad still worships Talos, in secret. And that he's afraid the Empire will find out, even though he doesn't want to be a Stormcloak. And..."

Naspia had to react quickly to hide the shock on her face. She'd expected him to say that he'd left a sewing needle on his father's throne, or that he'd dropped a giant's toe into the evening stew. These secrets he shared were a lot more adult than she thought.

"And what?" She asked in as sweet of a tone as she could muster.

"That I don't have the same mother as my brother and sister..." He said, the last one looking to be the only thing that truly affected him. Naspia placed a hand on Nelkir's head and gently ruffled his hair.

"So what?" She asked, smiling brightly at the boy. "My parents weren't married when I was born, and I turned out to be Dragonborn. Who cares if you don't have the same mother? You've got the same father and he loves all three of you with all his heart."

"Thanks..." Nelkir muttered, wiping a couple of tears from his eyes. Naspia could tell it had been a long while since Balgruuf had spent time with his children, but she understood that this war had him at his wit's end. Still, she couldn't help feeling bad for the boy. "I... I guess you're right. I just miss him is all..."

"Well tell him so." Naspia replied thoughtfully. "Your father gets really busy with his grown up stuff. He just needs to be reminded that his little man wants to talk to him sometimes."

"You know what? You're right. I'll do that."

"Wonderful. But hey, where did you hear these secrets from?"

"From the Whispering Lady. She doesn't talk to everyone, but if you're a real good secret keeper, I'll bet she'd talk to you! She's behind the door downstairs in the kitchens."

"Is that so?" Naspia asked, standing from her chair. "I think I should go talk to her, then. And you should tell your father how you feel. Sound like a good plan, buddy?"

"Sounds like a great plan!" Nelkir answered and stood up, running to his father. Naspia followed just long enough to slip past everyone. She watched from the kitchen as Nelkir told his father he loved him and apologized for saying mean things to him. Balgruuf seemed at a loss for words and was, if Naspia wasn't mistaken, getting emotional. She smiled and turned away to quietly creep down the stairs. She pushed open the first door that she came to and was surprised to see a tiny hallway and yet another door.

Naspia attempted to push the door open but it was locked. A sudden voice made her nearly jump out of her skin. She turned sharply to see where it came from, but there was no one around.

"At last." A woman's voice spoke. Naspia was suddenly very aware that the voice was in her head. It had to be a Daedra. There was no other way. "I've waited so long for a true champion."

"What do you mean?" She asked the door.

"The boy is clever but he lacks... agency." The Whispering Lady replied. "I believe you will serve my purposes much better."

"What makes you think I intend to serve you, nameless one?" Naspia demanded.

"Trust me, mortal, when you see the reward I have in store for you, you will understand why you put yourself through my service. I assure you I'm not asking much. Simply that you open this door."

"And how do I do that?" Naspia inquired.

"The Jarl and his little wizard both have a key to my door. They will not give it to you willingly, though. The wizard is likely to be your easiest choice. Playing with magic can so easily have... consequences, after all."

"You want me to murder him?" Naspia asked, her eyes bulging a bit. "But why? Why not simply take the key?"

"Complete the task as you see fit, little mortal, just ensure that it is done."

* * *

Naspia had waited for Farengar to go to sleep for hours on end. She'd made the mistake of giving him some dragon scales once and now he experimented tirelessly on them. When he did finally head to bed and nod off, Naspia swooped into the room, casting a muffling spell to keep her footfalls from being heard.

Looking into Farengar's quarters to be certain he was fast asleep, Naspia began rifling through his drawers and cupboards, looking for any kind of key. It was nowhere to be found. Slipping as quietly as she could into Farengar's bedroom, she slowly, silently began searching those drawers and cupboards, too. Nothing.

A thought dawned on her and she turned around to look at the wizard. Whispering a silent prayer to Talos for helping her with this lesser evil for the greater good, Naspia's hand gently parted the wizard's robe. Why he slept, fully clothed, wrapped in a magical robe and on top of his blankets, she didn't understand, but it made it that much simpler. Maybe he was just staying up too late too often and flopped on the bed, much like the Companions.

As she moved her hand further into the robe, she felt something rigid and... well, key shaped. Rather than run the risk of pulling the wrong thing out and having to put it back away, Naspia lifted the flap of Farengar's robe a little more to see that it was, in fact, a key. She gave it a gentle tug and then began making her way out when the wizard stirred.

"Wuh, huh?" Farengar murmured. "Who's there? What are you doing?"

Naspia whipped around, terror filling her eyes at the thought of being caught, not because she was afraid of Farengar, but because of what Balgruuf would say if he thought she were turning into a thief.

"It's just me, Farengar." Naspia whispered.

"You mind explaining, in as few big words as possible so you don't hurt yourself, why you're here?" Farengar asked, his usual demeanor erasing Naspia's fear and replacing it with annoyance.

"I... I... I heard that when mages start to become to powerful, they start crystalizing." Naspia lied, regretting how stupid it sounded almost instantly. "I was... checking your hands because I was afraid you were going to turn into a crystal monster."

"Figures." Farengar snapped, rolling his eyes. "Are you satisfied with your trivial pursuit at non-existent knowledge?"

"Uh... yes!" Naspia replied. Could he really think he was so much smarter than Naspia that he believed her story?

"Good, then go and next time you want to check me for some magical ailment, ask first."

That was a yes. Naspia wasn't sure whether to be relieved or to battle wits with him, but suffice to say she had more pressing matters to attend to. As she walked out of the room one of the guards came in, likely hearing Farengar's shouting. When he saw Naspia coming out of the room, he whipped right around and mentioned something about it not being any of his business.

"No, it's not that!" Naspia called out but the guard was already gone and her face was bright red and angry. Ignoring it, she trudged back to the kitchen and slowly crept back down stairs, to the door with the Whispering Lady behind it.

No voice greeted her at the door so Naspia assumed she should just open it. When she did, the room was nearly empty. There was just a wooden table with a book and a blade. Not just any blade, Naspia could tell. It was beautiful. She slowly made her way to it and set her hands in its hilt. Something about the blade called out to her. It made her want it, and no one else could have it.

"Well done, mortal." The Whispering Lady's voice came in. "If you've not heard of the Ebony Blade, greatest weapon of the Daedric Prince Mephala, perhaps you should read on it. Of course, my blade is nowhere near what it once was. It's been hidden, far too long, behind those doors and away from the secret plots and betrayals of mortals. Go now, my champion. Feed it the blood of those who call you friend and restore my weapon to its true and terrible power."

Napsia shook her head violently as the voice left her. She had, indeed, heard about the Ebony Blade, but what did this weapon have to do with whatever the Divide was? She thought to ask Hermaeous again, but decided against it. As for the blade, she grabbed up some of the leathers in the storage room right next to the kitchen and wrapped the weapon up, taking some strips to tie it down. Whatever power this blade held, Naspia shuddered at the thought of restoring it.

Rather than stick around, Naspia walked briskly for the door, deciding she needed to return to the College and see if she could learn more about the Ebony Blade there.

* * *

Akonus cursed himself for not being able to hold his apparition longer when speaking to Naspia. He'd meant to warn her of Casius' plans as a show of good faith, but it didn't much matter. The Akaviri prince had informed Casius of this ability in the hopes that he would allow its use and the mage did not disappoint.

"Just so you know, Casius." Akonus began as he sat crosslegged on the ground. "This magic is very different from what you're used to. My apparition will be every bit as strong and quick as I am, but the more active it is, the more concentration it will take."

"Meaning you could sit down and have a chat for longer than you could fight battles?" Casius asked.

"Basically. There are similar magics which have no time limit, but those are strictly for battle, rather than overseeing."

"And why is that?"

"Because rather than creating a ghost of myself that I control, it's a true copy and depending on how I go about it, this copy, or copies actually take some of my strength with them."

"Fascinating." Casius replied honestly. "That will come in handy later. For now, though, send your apparition with the bandits."

"By your command." Akonus replied as wind began rushing around the room, encircling the ancient prince.

* * *

Naspia sped down the road atop Arvak, trying to get to Winterhold as quickly as possible to figure out more on this Ebony Blade. She nearly toppled over her undead horse as a woman bolted out in front of her, waving her arms and screaming. Naspia hopped off of Arvak and knelt next to the woman who had toppled onto the ground.

"Miss, what's wrong?" She asked, placing an arm on the woman's shoulder.

"Oh, nothing at all, Dragonborn." The woman replied, pulling a dagger from her hip and stabbing at Naspia's side. She'd been unprepared for the attack and the blade managed to slip a tiny bit between the plates on her armor, making a small cut. The pain was negligible, but the weapon itself had to have been enchanted or poisoned. Naspia suddenly felt incredibly fatigued. "Come on, boys! She's not getting up any time soon."

At least a dozen bandits, wrapped in fur armor came out of the trees, their weapons drawn. All of them had wicked smirks on their faces. The last of the bandits to approach was covered, head to toe in steel plate armor, hefting a massive iron battleaxe. Naspia glared up at the bandit, shoving the woman who'd stabbed her away and drawing Dawnbreaker from its sheath.

"Now now, Dragonborn, there's no need for that." The obvious leader stated. "With as much of that poison running through your veins as there is, you'd be lucky to block an attack, much less make one yourself."

"If you know who I am you know I can just Shout you to death." Napsia spat, holding Dawnbreaker in a shaky grip. "And you also know if you impede me you endanger your own lives."

"Oh, I don't think so." The bandit told her. "In fact... I'd imagine Casius will pay us huge coin for your head."

Naspia's eyes widened at the mention of the mage. She snarled and ran at the bandit, weakly throwing a swipe at him. The bandit parried the blow and kicked Naspia in her stomach, toppling the Dragonborn to the ground. The Ebony Blade fell off her back, still wrapped in leathers and the bandit looked at it with a smirk.

"Oh, what's this?" He asked, kneeling down next to it. "Did you bring me a new toy to play with?"

"Don't touch that..." A voice came from behind the bandits. They all turned calmly, obviously knowing that someone had been there the whole time. Naspia's fear increased when she saw Akonus step forward, into the light. "Where did you get this?"

"What do you care?" Naspia demanded, slowly getting up.

"That weapon doesn't belong to you." He shot back. Naspia could tell by how dim his eyes were that this was another one of those apparitions Akonus could conjure up. The apparition knelt down and began unwrapping the leathers until he caught a glimpse of the blade itself and fell backward. _"Tahrovin! Faal Tuz los Nok!"_

"Blade of Lies?" Naspia replied in translation. "What do you know of this weapon?"

"I know that I am the only one who deserves to wield it." Akonus replied, grasping the blade by the hilt. He glared at the weapon angrily, but then Naspia noticed his features turned from hate to sadness. Though she still didn't know what it had to do with the Divide, or what the Divide had to do with Akonus, she was certain, at least that they were interlinked.

"Why not test it out, old man?" The bandit leader asked. "Casius sent us out here to kill her, so why not try your new sword out?"

"I think not." Akonus replied.

"But..."

"I said no!" Akonus thundered, causing the bandits to turn around on him. Their weapons were now held aggressively and Naspia was certain that the idiots hadn't heard what Akonus was capable of. "Think this through."

"Oh, I thought it through plenty in these last five seconds." The bandit leader snapped. "You got your toy and now Casius wants you to kill us so he doesn't have to pay up."

Naspia watched the exchange fearfully. Akonus held a hand up, trying to calm the bandits, but it was useless. The idiots charged forward at Akonus.

"You are not men and women of honor..." Akonus told them. "I was going to ensure you were all arrested so you couldn't reveal my plans to Casius, but your murderous streaks and thieve's ways are clear to all. You shall not receive my mercy."

Akonus moved next to Naspia to better protect her from the bandits as they surged at him. The Akaviri prince moved flowed like water, the Ebony Blade in his hand carving through armor like aged Breton cheese. As the blade sank into their flesh, the apparition's eyes began to glow brighter. So it was true then, that betrayal fueled the blade, which also fueled the wielder. Akonus dispatched the bandits so quickly that Naspia barely had time to watch it happen.

Naspia looked up at the apparition as he turned to face her, sticking the Ebony Blade into the ground. The Akaviri clapped his hands together and then faced his palms toward the Dragonborn and a soft white glow shot from them, into her. Naspia could feel the small wound closing itself and her strength slowly returning to her. Blinking a few times she looked up at the fake Akonus in confusion.

"I know you need my help, but can't this get you killed?" She asked.

"Oh please." Akonus replied with a smirk. "Casius is a fool who is digging himself deeper into a hole from which there is no clawing out. All I have to do is inform him that you've found some artifact that makes you too strong for my apparitions and he'll grow too fearful to send more bandits after you."

"Wouldn't he send more, instead?"

"No." Akonus told her, holding a hand out to help the Dragonborn up. Reluctantly she took it and stood. "He's fearful that the bandits will betray him if their lives are endangered. He will likely order me to kill all of the bandits he's hired so far just to replace them with ones who have no knowledge of your part in this."

"And will you do it?" She asked. "You seemed very... conscientiously objected to killing the night of your rebirth."

"That's because you had an assembled army of warriors." Akonus replied and gestured to the corpses around them. "These men and women are cowards who slaughter the weak and steal what they are unable to earn fairly. _Nikriin._"

"And what of the Ebony Blade?" Naspia asked. "What does it have to do with you? Or the Divide?"

"The what?"

"The Divide. It's the reason for the Akaviri kingdom's fall, if the tomes are true."

"I don't know anything about that." Akonus told her as he began wrapping the Ebony Blade back up in the leathers and strapped it to his back. "Must have been after my death."

"That doesn't tell me about the blade." Naspia replied, glaring at him. "You asked me for my help, but how can I help you if you're going to take the best lead I have?"

"You need not concern yourself with what the weapon means to me." Akonus said flatly. "If it turns out that you need it to aid me I shall return it to you without hesitation, but for now I'm going to hang on to it. This weapon is much too dangerous to be left in the hands of any who don't understand it."

"Fine." Naspia shot, glaring at the ancient prince. "So... what are you going to do about them? Won't Casius be furious that you returned without my head or his lackeys? I mean, you are taking the only artifact I've found."

"He doesn't know that. For all Casius knows you have found armor that was worn by the gods themselves and without facing you in my full form I could not defeat you while you wore it."

"But you managed to take a powerful weapon from me?"

"You're clumsy." Akonus told her with a smirk. For some reason Naspia couldn't help but smirk back.

"Fine." She replied, summoning Arvak once again. "Just do what you can to keep him off of my back. I can hardly figure out what you need from me with all these interruptions."

"I think Casius is going to be forced to assume you are fighting your way through the Nordic ruins all across this land." He said, turning to walk away. "Through great tortures of the Jarl of Whiterun I have discovered you are trying to track down the power that resurrected me. And then, of course I will tell him I used some non-existant magic to make the Jarl forget it all and then return to his duties."

"You think you can pull that off?" Naspia asked but Akonus had already disappeared into the woods.


	9. Pulling the Thread

**To answer a question posed to me in a review, no, this isn't a Female Dragonborn/Serana romance. It's not a femslash at all, actually. I just couldn't resist having Ysolda flirt with Naspia so obviously and making her feel awkward. Not trying to bash femslash fanfics, I assure you, that's just not what this is. Sure, I can see romances between characters all over Skyrim occurring, but this is mainly about violence because I like violence. :P Hope that cleared some things up.**

* * *

Naspia entered the Arcaneum at a far later hour than Urag had apparently expected. He never left the room, of course, preferring to sleep behind his desk rather than leave the books unprotected, but seeing her here so late had definitely surprised him. Especially seeing her in full, dragonbone plated armor with dried blood on the side of it.

"Before you ask, I'm alright." Naspia told him, removing her helmet and setting it on one of the desks. "And now I need new information."

"So your trip to Whiterun was moderately successful then?" Urag asked, grabbing Naspia's tiny arm forcefully to get a better look at the closed wound.

"I said I'm fine." She told him, gently pulling her arm out of his grip. "And yes, moderately successful. I found... a weapon."

"A Daedric weapon?" Urag asked, stroking his beard. "Not just those black ones fueled by the heart of a Dremora, but an actual Daedric weapon?"

"Yes. The Ebony Blade. It was locked up in Whiterun for Divines know how long to keep it from being used for its dark intent."

"The Blade of Betrayal, some have taken to calling it." Urag told her as he went through his ledger to see what books he had on the subject. "To think that this weapon has been used to stab lifelong friends in the back since the days of ancient Akavir."

"Speaking of which, I ran into him. Twice now."

"Ran into who?"

"Prince Akonus Akavir." Napsia told him and Urag dropped the book on the ground. So great was his shock that he actually allowed a book to touch the floor. "You've... read something on him?"

"Well, until now only what I thought to be fairy tales." Urag replied, dragging out another book to set beside the ones on the Ebony Blade. "I'll spare you the reading of this one and you can take it for later in case you forget anything, but Akonus Akavir is a very dangerous being."

"I learned that." Naspia replied. "He kind of took on an entire army by himself, remember?"

"Damn it child, shut up and listen." Urag snapped, causing Naspia to gulp and sit down. Dragons, trolls, Draugr and all sorts of nasty monsters she could handle but an elder scolding her still seemed to startle her into obedience. "He was also known as _Zugutiik. _It means extremist. That book vividly depicts this Akonus Akavir going against his father's orders and provoking the Tsaesci into all out war. This Divide that you read up on? My money is on him being the cause of it."

"That... that can't be right." Naspia replied, shaking her head. "I asked him about the Divide and he didn't react at all. He said that whatever it was, it happened after his time."

"And he's given you what reason to trust him?"

"Well... he could have killed us all in Hjaalmarch if he wanted to. And he saved my life tonight."

"How in Oblivion did he do that?" Urag asked, rolling his eyes.

"I was ambushed by bandits that he, apparently was leading." She told him, gesturing to the healed wound in her side. "They tricked me and then stuck me with a poisoned blade. When the bandits took the Ebony Blade from me, he unwrapped it and cursed it. He actually looked scared, despite his anger."

"Did he, now?" Urag asked. "That's interesting. I suppose it's entirely possible that the Ebony Blade was, in fact used to kill him."

"That... that makes sense, actually." Naspia replied, shaking her head at her own foolishness. "He told me the weapon didn't belong to me and he took it. The bandits decided they were going to bring my head back to Casius and I was too weak to hold them off from the poison in my body. Akonus warned them not to try it but they wouldn't listen, so he killed them and then cast some Restoration spell on me."

"And he saved you because..?"

"While I was in Whiterun he came to me at night." Naspia confessed. "Well, not physically. Oh, this most recent encounter wasn't the real him, either. He can make apparitions of himself. At any rate, he told me if I could free him from Casius and the threat of returning to the Soul Cairn, he could help me."

"Help you with what, exactly?" Urag asked with peeked interest.

"I can't be certain. Maybe he would help us kill Casius and stop whatever he was planning, or perhaps he would help make me stronger so I could hunt down and pacify or kill the last of the dragons out there."

"Wait, did you say the Soul Cairn?" Urag didn't wait for an answer and procured a fourth book and began rummaging through it. "He fears being sent back to the Soul Cairn. As in that was where he was in death?"

"Yes, Casius somehow summoned him from the Soul Cairn with that soulgem he'd fed to the dragon."

"Then you can't possibly help him, Napsia. If the Ideal Masters have locked a soul in, nothing can stop them from claiming it."

"Nothing? Nothing at all?"

"Well, I mean it's possible but..."

"But you'd have to somehow block their influence on our world." Phinis Gestor stated as he came into the Arcaneum. Phinis was the College's authority on Conjuration and, while his spells weren't exactly the most impressive in Tamriel, his knowledge was nearly unparalleled. "Which, of course, isn't possible."

"So it's possible, but it's not." Naspia replied flatly. "Then how do I unbind him?"

"You can't." Phinis told her, nodding at Urag politely. "If someone is in the snare of the Ideal Masters, they're forever under that shadow. Only way to get away from them is to not die, as it were."

"Wait a second..." Naspia whispered. "You said if I could... If I could block their influence into our world! That's it! That's how I can hold up my end!"

"What are you blathering about, apprentice?" Phinis asked.

"Don't you see?" Naspia questioned back, as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. She had, after all told nearly everyone about the attempts Clan Volkihar had made, as well as what the ancient Falmer had created the prophecy for. "Auriel's Bow!"

"You can't shoot the Ideal Masters with a bow..." Urag told her.

"Auriel's Bow can do a lot more than you might think, but no, that isn't my plan." Naspia replied with a grin at how clever she was actually being. "What were the vampires going to shoot at?"

"The sun." Urage replied and it suddenly dawned on him. "Which is a portal through which Akatosh influences Mundus! Of course! I must say, your plan is... brilliant for lack of any other word."

"Oh stop." Naspia replied with a light blush. "Big softy. But that still presents a problem."

"There isn't a sun in the Soul Cairn, I'd imagine." Phinis piped up.

"Well, no but there's a massive, swirling vortex in the sky." Naspia replied. "When I was there I could see, or at least what I thought I saw, were souls flying down from the heavens to be stuck in the Cairn."

"So if you launched an arrow from Auriel's Bow into the vortex you could potentially close off the Ideal Masters from Tamriel." Urag stated.

"And make Necromancy nearly impossible until the end of time." Phinis added bitterly. "I don't know about this."

"It's either no more conjuring zombies to chase off annoying new students or no more free will when Casius is done with all of us."

"You forget, Dragonborn that you still don't know if you can trust Akonus." Urag told her. "For all you know he's using you to gain his freedom and then he'll have a fate even worse in store for Tamriel. I'd imagine conquering Akavir once more is a part of his plans and forcing us all to help him would be very beneficial."

"So I should leave Tamriel to its fate?" Naspia snapped. "All of Skyrim expects me to be some invincible human beast of unrivaled power who will save everyone from all the things that go bump in the night but it isn't true! Akonus is far stronger than I am. If he's freed from his control then yes, maybe he will enslave or destroy us. But if I just leave him under the influence of Casius our horrid fate isn't a maybe. It's assured! What would you have me do, Urag?"

Urag stared at Naspia for a moment. He tried to form an argument for her words, but there was none. She was right and he knew it. Either Tamriel would maybe suffer or it definitely would. He simply gave the girl a resigned shrug.

"I would have you do what you feel is right." He told her. "Not as Dragonborn, but as Naspia."

She looked at Urag and smiled, nodding her head before gathering up the books and heading out. SHe looked back at the two of them, Phinis clearly not happy about the possibility of Necromany becoming nearly impossible and Urag still not trusting that Akonus merely wanted freedom, but Naspia knew she had little choice in the matter. It was either risk the Akaviri prince's wrath once the task was completed or leave them all to be doomed to whatever Casius had in store. Naspia had made her decision and once she stepped out into the courtyard, she summoned Arvak, mounted him and began heading south, toward Fort Dawnguard.

* * *

"So you let her go?" Casius asked, watching the apparition of Akonus walk over to the real one and hand him some long object wrapped in leather. "I specifically told you to destroy her. To bring me her head, yet instead you come back with... whatever that is."

"You weren't there." Akonus told him as he began unwrapping the Ebony Blade and his apparition dissipated. He held the blade in his hand a moment, swinging it gracefully around himself a few times to test it in his hands. "My apparition barely escaped with this."

"And what, pray tell, is that?" Casius demanded as he walked back over to the console he'd been working on. "Some ebony greatsword?"

"This is the Ebony Blade of Mephala." Akonus replied, smirking at Casius' reaction. "And it was not the only artifact the Dragonborn had on her."

"Gathering powerful artifacts, is she? Let me guess, you ripped that from her fingers but didn't have enough strength to take anything else."

"Correct. I can only assume your bandits are dead."

"Irrelevant." Casius replied with a smirk. "Soon I won't need them. What are the numbers looking like?"

"A moment." Akonus told him, striding over to the railing that looked down into what had become called the Assembly Area. Akonus was grateful that Casius was too busy to press the issue further and used his eyes to count out every Dwemer automaton in the Assembly Area. "You have a full _ronax _of the great brass walkers, twelve of your _nermuz _and forty of your _kostim_."

"Very good. We'll be ready soon."

Casius had begrudgingly learned a few of the terms Akonus used, primarily so that he might better understand the Akaviri when haste was important and translation would slow them down. The word ronax meant regiment and, by Akaviri counting that meant five-hundred. Doing the math quickly in his head, Casius was now aware that he had, quite possibly the greatest force in all of Skyrim and that it took mere weeks to build. Five-hundred Dwarven centurions, six-thousand sphere guardians and twenty-thousand Dwemer spiders of various design. Casius had no doubt in his mind that he could launch a lightening strike on each of Skyrim's holds simultaneously and would be victorious, but he knew patience was all too necessary here.

He would not attack until Akonus was bound to him, but that moment was rapidly approaching, thanks to the Dwemer and their blasphemous attempts at taking the power of the Divines for themselves. The only set back now was the Dragonborn scooping up Daedric artifacts in an effort to thwart him, and that the Dwarven metals were not coming in nearly as frequently. He was certain that the world outside his halls would notice a great lack of Dwemer items capable of being melted down, but he didn't care much about that. The bandits had picked several ruins clean but dared not venture to far into the other ruins, where far greater quantities could be found for fear of the Falmer that dwelled within, but Casius had a plan for that as well.

"Akonus, I have a task for you." Casius stated, looking back over his shoulder.

"What is it?" The prince asked, attaching a sheathe to his back to house the Ebony Blade.

"Shadow the Dragonborn, but do not engage her." He answered, turning around fully to eye the Akaviri warily. "Figure out what she is up to and then send an apparition to me with the details. If she can locate more Daedric devices, I think you should liberate them from her. Once my plan is ready to go into affect, kill her."

"And how will I know when you are ready?"

"Your apparition will report to me every three days." Casius commanded. "I'd suggest not letting it slip your mind. I now have an army larger than any in Skyrim at my disposal and, while I'd like to keep you on a leash, if I sense you are attempting to betray me, you will go straight back to the Soul Cairn. Oh, and I've heard the legends of that blade and how it steals the power of the ones its used on. Leave it here."

"Understood." Akonus replied through gritted teeth as he pulled the blade off of his back and turned around to leave. He gave Casius one final glance, but the man was busy once again so he left, leaving the Ebony Blade behind.

Casius looked up at the console once Akonus was gone and grinned ear to ear. This construct to the Dwemer was much like a soulgem, but far larger. With it he could house a near infinite amount of souls inside and offer them up to the Ideal Masters, both as payment for the soul he stole and as offering to finish the binding. All he needed to do now was wait for the rest of his bandits to return.

* * *

Three days of careful travel away from the roads and paths finally brought Naspia to Fort Dawnguard. The place was alive with men and women training in the darkness of night, honing their skills in the shadow to better fight whatever vampire menace they might face in the future. Naspia wasn't interested in any of that, now that the ancient clan of Volkihar had been stopped and Serana and her mother were both safe. She only stopped by to check on her vampire friend and to make sure that Isran didn't need help with an army of vampires that showed up out of the blue.

As she stepped into the fort proper, Naspia caught a glimpse of Serana arguing with Isran about Talos knew what. They both stopped when the Dragonborn approached.

"So is it true?" Isran asked her, arms crossed and face sour, as always. "You found something so dangerous that I should set aside my hunt for the vampires to help you out?"

"Sort of..." Naspia replied, getting a sigh from Isran and a look of confusion from Serana. "I mean, we've started a war with a mage who has resurrected a man capable of pulverizing armies by himself, so yes it's more dangerous. But I don't think you can help. I don't really think anyone can help."

"Because the Dragonborn can do it all herself, huh?" Isran demanded.

"Back off." Serana snapped, glaring at the old man. "She means we have to go about this all differently. Right Naspia?"

"Right.' The Dragonborn replied. "See, I think I may have found a way to release Casius' control over Akonus."

"Casius and Akonus?" Isran asked. "You mind giving me some kind of detail to go by?"

"Well... not that it will help, but Casius is a mage." Naspia told him. "A mage from the Synod. I believe the two of you met once before."

"Oh. Him."

"Yeah, him." Naspia continued, seeing the look of displeasure in Isran's face. "Well I don't quite understand how, but he has managed to resurrect an ancient warrior. Not like Nordic Ruins ancient. I'm talking before humans came to Tamriel ancient."

"As in older then I am?" Serana asked.

"As in older than some of the dragons I've faced. His father was the son of beings that were just like Shor and Tsun."

"You mean the Ehlnofey?" Isran asked. "The so-called gods that walked across our world until they faded away?"

"Those very same beings." Naspia affirmed, setting her ruck on the ground and reached into the bag to dig through her books. "It would explain the magic he used that defies what the College deemed possible, and how he was able to devastate an entire army without killing anyone or being hit at all. His strength and speed were nothing short of godlike. And his eyes..."

"So how do you plan on stopping him?" Isran demanded, growing impatient with all this news.

"Stopping him may not be possible, but I've... had conversations with him." Napsia confessed. "He came to me as apparitions while I was awake, so I know it actually happened. He... he seems like a warrior who holds honor higher than anything else."

"Sounds like half the Nords in Skyrim to me." Serana stated flatly.

"Yes, but don't you see?" Naspia asked. "The reason he didn't just grab someone's sword and hack that army apart is because there was no honor in it for him. He only serves Casius because of what the mage holds over him."

"Which is?" Isran and Serana asked simultaneously.

"His soul. Casius, somehow, obtained a soulgem that housed Akonus' soul. When he sacrificed the dragon and his two friends to the stone and muttered some incantation, he gave Akonus a new body to hold his soul yet somehow has the ability to send his soul back to where it had been. The Soul Cairn."

"That place..." Serana muttered bitterly. "I would understand doing anything you could to stay out of there. Especially if you knew your soul would end up there, rather than just pay a visit."

"Can't help but agree with you there." Naspia replied. "But Serana, you obviously recall how your father was going to end Auriel's influence on Tamriel."

"Of course." She replied, waving her hand in the air dismissively as she recited it. "Using the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour and Auriel's bow he would blot out the sun for all time. What does that have to do with freeing this Akaviri guy from that jerk mage?"

"Well, you remember what you saw when you looked up while we were in the Soul Cairn, right?" She asked with a grin.

"Yeah, it looked like a portal for souls to..." Serana caught herself and looked up, wide eyed at Naspia. "You mean to fire an arrow from that bow into the portal, don't you?"

"I do." Naspia replied proudly, grinning ear to ear. "I'm going to fire a Sunhallowed Arrow straight into it and that should seal the portal up, keeping Akonus' soul safe from that fate."

"And he'll be free to wreak his vengeance on that snot nosed mage with his Imperial edict." Isran finished with a wicked smirk. "I like this plan. Should serve that Cyrodil whelp right."

"How do you know this will even work, Naspia?" Serana asked. "Auriel is an Aedra but the Ideal Masters... they're... No one even knows what they are. How do we know this arrow will do anything at all?"

"What other choice do we have?" Naspia asked with a shrug. "These books are more to discover what he is and what happened during his life time, not how to defeat him."

"Well let's at least talk to my mother." Serana told her. "She knows more about that place than anyone I can think of. Probably even more than that dead prince, seeing as he was dead."

"Fair enough." Naspia replied and glanced at Isran. "I'll let you know what comes of all this."

Isran merely grunted and nodded his head, watching the two women exit the castle.


	10. Land of the Dead

Casius looked down into the assembly area, smirking at the assembled bandits there. They'd been paid their weight in gold, which had been difficult to acquire, even for Casius. Still, it didn't matter. He flipped a switch on the console of the Dwemer Soulgem machine and it began to faintly glow.

"My dear compatriots." He called down to them, hands in the air in greeting. He could hear a few of the bandits making snide remarks about his theatrics but he didn't let his annoyance show. "You have done a far better job then I ever could have hoped. The Dwemer ruins of Skyrim are nearly picked clean and their metals have been used to forge a great army. My army."

All around the bandits massive centurions thundered to life and turned to face Casius. The bandits were in shock, at first and it was no surprise. The lumbering, brass behemoths had been the bane of nearly any adventurer to face them.

"Unfortunately, for my coin purse, but fortunately for you all, I still need your services, if you'd lend them to me." Casius continued. "You see, I have a vision. A vision of a unified Tamriel, not ruled by the elves, or by an Emperor. No, this Tamriel is ruled by a mage, in my vision. And he leads this continent into a golden age that will last a thousand lifetimes!"

"What does this have to do with us?" One of the bandits called out, clearly not impressed.

"Ah, I cannot make this vision come to fruition without blood, sweat and tears." Casius told them. "All great plans require great sacrifices, and my sacrifice to make is my resources. If you would agree to aid me one last time these sacrifices would be far easier to make, and you would all reap the great rewards you have sewn. You've seen what I have offered for this collection of metals. Think of what rewards I could bring you for helping me to build my own empire! Any of you willing to be of service to me one last time, I beg you to take a step forward."

One by one the greedy bandits, blinded by their own lust for coin and the things it purchased stepped forward. When the last of them did so, Casius couldn't help but cackle like a man possessed. The pact was signed, now, by their willingness, even when they knew not what service they would provide, to greedy for the rewards promised.

"Good, then!" Casius called out, flipping another switch. A mist shot out at the bandits, heavy with magic. He could see many of the stumble as it quickly dissipated, some staggering to a knee. One of them shouted at him angrily, demanding to know what happened. "Oh, it's quite simple, really. By taking that step forward, you agreed to give me your soul, in exchange for the reward of gold coins. I'll be sure to bury what's left of your corpses with them! Centurions, kill!"

The massive, brass automatons sprang into action and began wading through the scores of bandits among them. As their heavy blades sheared through their filthy furs and unwashed bodies Casius observed their souls floating into the massive gem above. Some of the bandits were trying to fight back but the centurions were hardly affected by the iron tipped arrows and steel weapons that clanged against their armored hides. One particularly unfortunate bandit was caught under the stomping boot of a centurion and drowned as blood filled in his lungs.

Within moments of the beginning of the fight not a single bandit stood and the massive gem above the assembly area was glowing as bright as a star. Casius cackled madly at how easily he had tricked them into agreeing to give him their souls simply by using careful wording.

"Now to pay my debts." Casius stated as he took up a dagger. Pricking his index and middle finger, he began writing runes in a circle around himself to protect him for the meeting to come.

* * *

Naspia and Serana entered the alchemy room that Valerica had called home. It seemed that she had not even left the place, judging by the state the rest of the castle was still in. Naspia was reminded of how terrible that fight had been, both in terms of difficulty, facing dozens of powerful vampires and because Serana knew it would end with her own father's death. If the vampire was affected by seeing the castle still in shambles, she didn't let it show.

"And just what brings my daughter and her problem loaded friend back here?" Valerica asked, not even looking up from her potion making. "Is trouble at my door yet again?"

"No Mother." Serana replied, walking up to embrace Valerica after not seeing her since the battle for the castle. "Tamriel seems to never be short of problems and Naspia is the only one who can ever do anything about them."

"I know all about this problem of Tamriel's." Valerica snapped, looking over her shoulder at the Dragonborn. "Taking your soul back from the Ideal Masters has angered them and they have sent this evil to the land as punishment."

"You can't possibly know that, Mother!" Serana replied.

"No, she can't, but she's right." Naspia stated calmly. "Maybe not about why Akonus is here, but I should never have tried to pull the wool over the eyes of beings no one understands."

"Akonus?" Valerica asked curiously. "You have spoken to the champion of the Ideal Masters?"

"Yes." Naspia told her, setting her pack down. "And he's not their champion, he's their prisoner."

"Explain." Valerica demanded. Naspia obliged her, taking the better part of an hour to relay the story in its entirety. "By the Blood, I can't possibly believe such things, and yet I absolutely do. But how do you know that freeing him from his bonds won't make things worse? And how do you know that you can?"

"I don't, for either of those." The Dragonborn replied wearily. "But if I leave him in the clutches of that wizard then a terrible fate is assured rather than just possible. And with the Bow... It's the only plan I could come up with."

"But a brilliant one." A voice rang through the laboratory. The three women snapped around, weapons and magic at the ready but Naspia and Serana immediately relaxed their aggressive stances and Valerica followed suit. Akonus stood before them, glowing blue eyes as captivating and unnerving as ever. "Dragonborn, I must admit this plan is nothing short of genius."

"Glad one of us is so sure." She replied, unable to help the little smirk that grew on her lips. "But what in Oblivion are you doing here? Won't Casius find out?"

"Actually, upon Casius' orders, I am to spy on you and steal any powerful artifacts you find." He told her with a smirk of his own. "He has given me a very long leash, which I do believe is a bad sign. I think he is prepared to act. I'll be fully his soon, Naspia. This plan of yours cannot fail."

"Then come with us to the Soul Cairn and make sure that it works." Serana offered.

"No." Valerica interjected. "If the Ideal Masters want his soul even more than mine there will be no power any being on Nirn could ever have that will defy their power on their own plain. If this Akonus travels there you will all be overwhelmed."

"She's right." Akonus replied. "But I can ensure the portal is undisturbed while you are carrying this out. And then I can help you deal with the larger threat."

"Larger threat?" Naspia asked curiously.

"Not now." Akonus replied, setting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it gently. "You need not worry about that. Just fire the magic arrow from the magic bow into the magic target and then we can worry about the foolish things Casius is doing."

Naspia nodded and glanced at Serana who nodded as well. The two women stepped into the portal that Valerica had never learned how to close and descended into the Soul Cairn.

* * *

As soon as she was inside Napsia looked straight up at the portal. She could have moved further in, but she doubted that would serve a purpose and she really didn't want to go any further inside than she needed to. Serana had her hands up, magic icicles forming around them, prepared to launch at the first thing that came their way. Naspia had intended for them to be in and out too quickly for that to matter.

"Let's just do this and make ourselves scarce as quickly as we can." Serana suggested.

Naspia nodded and pulled Auriel's Bow from her back, knocking one of her Sunhallowed Arrows into it. Holding her breath, she drew the string back and took careful aim.

* * *

Casius stepped into the Soul Cairn slowly. Or rather his consciousness did. He had taken many precautions in order to be able to visit the Soul Cairn without having to worry about losing his own soul, however losing his mind was still entirely possible.

"Why do you return here, thief, deceiver, liar, cheat?" Said a voice that sounded like on and thousands all at once. "Do you wish to take even more of our belongings, prizes, possessions?"

"Great ones, I meant no offense in the apprehension of your most prized soul." Casius replied staunchly. "I understand that seems foolish, but you must realize that by using the soul on the mortal plain I am able to send you more souls than any other being to have ever existed."

"Your point is valid, but it does not change the fact that you have wronged us, cheated us, betrayed us." The disembodied voices continued. "Give us a suitable payment for the soul and you shall be allowed to continue with your plots, plans, schemes. Refuse and the armies of the dead shall rise up, worse than before you summoned our treasure to Tamriel, Nirn, Mundus."

"But of course, Ideal Masters. I am, after all, your faithful servant."

Casius cast a releasing spell and the two score bandit souls flew from the mortal world, leaving the giant soul stone they had been trapped in and found themselves being slowly dragged into the portal above.

"The payment is accepted and you are free to return to Tamriel, Nirn, Mundus. But heed this warning, Casius, deceiver, thief: If you betray us again your punishment will be great and terrible, your suffering endless, timeless, eternal."

"I will not forget, my Masters." Casius said and released the spell. After several dizzying moments he was back in his quarters within the Dwemer ruins. Casius strode over to the scroll he had received when he had first met with the Ideal Masters and gently rubbed some of the dust off of it before unrolling it. After a few seconds of careful though, Casius unrolled the script and began to read from it to permanently and completely bind Akonus to him.

* * *

Naspia could feel her heart slamming against her chest and hear the blood rushing around in her ears. As she takes careful aim, the Dragonborn lets the held breath out, her exhale lasting nearly half a minute before she gently releases her fingers. Everything seemed to pass by in blissful and horrific slow motion as she watched the arrow disappear into the darkness above. Painfully slow moments passed without a sound or sign that the plan had worked.

"By Talos, if this didn't work..." Naspia began before a rumbling shook her and Serana off of their feet. The two women looked up into the sky and saw a blinding white light begin to emerge from the center of the portal in the sky and it was slowly splitting open wider and wider. Naspia looked down at the ground around them and saw that it was beginning to crack and give way. "Serana, we need to get back, now!"

Without responding the vampire hopped to her feet and helped Naspia to climb the stairs back to the portal. When the two of them looked up they saw that it was beginning to close. Naspia could hear an agonized wail, sounding like thousands of voices screaming out in pain. The Dragonborn crumbled to the ground as the noise rattled her head and she could feel blood running from her ears. Serana stumbled as well and it looked as though the two of them were about to be locked into the dying realm forever.

Just when the portal looked like a single person could barely fit through a pair of legs dropped through. Naspia recognized that it was Akonus and began to crawl forward, dragging Serana along with her. They made it to the base of the portal, staring at his feet as the screaming threatened to break their minds completely.

[i]"Dwiin heinmaar!"[/i] Akonus yelled over the agonized screams. Naspia managed to focus on his voice enough to push Serana to her feet. The vampire weakly climbed out, having to struggle to move past Akonus who seemed to be keeping the portal open for them. Naspia reached up to the edge of the portal to pull herself out but her knees were too weak. "Grab my armor and climb up if you have to!"

Naspia did as she was bade and began to claw her way up the thin armor plates strapped to the Akaviri prince. When she finally managed to pull her head out of the Soul Cairn and the wailing stopped she could think clearly once more. As she looked around she could tell Akonus was struggling to keep the portal open. His hands were glowing bright blue, just like his eyes and she couldn't help but feel like that was the only reason he was able to hold it open.

"Wait, how are you going to get out?" She asked, realizing there was no way he could pull himself out and force the portal to stay open at the same time.

"It has become obvious that you couldn't save me without sacrificing yourself." Akonus told her, his struggle to keep the portal open evident in his voice. "Honor dictates that I cannot allow that. But I thank you for trying, Naspia. Truly."

"No way!" Naspia thundered. "After all this I'm not going to fail."

"Well if you can think of something do it fast. I'm losing my grip but I won't let you take my place in the Soul Cairn."

Naspia nodded and thought for a moment. The only thing that came to mind seemed instantly dangerous and stupid, but she had no other alternatives. Naspia wrapped her arms around Akonus and without explaining looked straight up at the ceiling.

[i]"Wuld!"[/i] She shouted. The two of them were propelled into the air and just before she saw them hit the ceiling Naspia's entire world went black.

* * *

Casius finished the incantation from the scroll and sighed with content as he rolled it shut. Suddenly a horrible scream emanated from the portal he had used to speak to the Ideal Masters and then just as suddenly the portal collapsed in on itself.

"Hmm... curious." He stated aloud, not entirely sure if that was supposed to happen or not. "Well then. Akonus is now mine... I've won."

* * *

Naspia awoke with a headache that she could only mentally describe as a blade, still hot from the forge being driving into her skull. Opening her eyes hurt but she forced herself to do so and Akonus was there, kneeling over her with Serana and Valerica on either side of him.

"What happened?" Naspia asked, her own voice thundering in her head.

"You saved my soul." Akonus replied, gently placing a hand on her forehead. Naspia was about to protest when a cool, numbing sensation filled her head and she nearly fell asleep. "Curing your headache is the least I could do."

Naspia sat up and smiled brightly, brushing her bright red bangs from her face.

"So it worked?" She asked excitedly. "You're free and we don't have to fight?"

"Yes, Dragonborn." Akonus replied with a smirk. "We are both free of that fate that had nearly been locked in for us. And now I owe you everything, Naspia. My skills, my blade and my life are yours, Dragonborn."

"Well, I'd love to say that I didn't need your help and that you could rest as much as you wanted now, but you mentioned something worse than you." Naspia reminded, a concerned look on her face.

"Yes, that." Akonus began. "Well you see it..."

Akonus seemed to freeze and Naspia wasn't sure if she was the only one seeing it until Serana poked his shoulder. When Akonus didn't move Naspia started to take note of his eyes slowly dimming, much like the appareition, but Naspia knew this was the real Akonus. Without any word he strode over to the wall, struck it with his fist and stepped through the massive hole he created.

"Akonus, what are you doing?" Naspia asked, grabbing his shoulder. The Akaviri looked at her, his eyes glowing brightly once more, but now a reddish color tainted them. He swatted Naspia's hand off his shoulder and she nearly buckled as she felt her wrist break from the force of it. "No! No we can't be too late! We freed you, you said we did!"

Akonus made no response and disappeared outside. Serana rushed to the hole in the wall to find him but he was completely gone.

"Naspia... what are we going to do?" Serana asked, helping the Dragonborn to her feet while she cradled her broken wrist.

"I don't know..." She replied, her voice catching in her throat. "I just don't know anymore..."


	11. Hopeless

It hadn't even been a full week since Akonus had fallen completely fallen to Casius and already Skyrim seemed to be rife with despair. Naspia had run as fast as her exhausted, aching legs could carry her to Solitude and sent out as many messenger hawks as the town could, warning everyone of the dangers ahead. It hadn't helped in the least.

As soon as Casius had taken control of Akonus he launched his attack on Skyrim. The Legion and the Stormcloaks had, rather than stand shoulder to shoulder again decided to hit the immense army of Dwarven automatons from either side, relying on their own spread out strength. The end result was pure calamity as both armies fragmented and retreated into the wilderness. Out there the Forsworn and the bandits and beasts picked off the stragglers and smaller groups, leaving the power of civilized might to a shell less than half what it had been before the fight. And worst of all Akonus had not participated in the battle at all.

But then again, neither had Naspia. She had tried but her body just wouldn't carry her fast enough. By the time she'd arrived to the battlefield there was nothing but ruins and bodies. Sure, there were scattered remains of the Dwarven machines but they were already being picked apart and hauled off by the little spider drones, most likely to be recycled into fresh troops. Had it not been for the invisibility potion Naspia had on her she probably would have joined the countless bodies strewn across Winterhold.

The city itself was gone. The College was still standing and powerful enchantments that likely hadn't been looked at in centuries were keeping the ballistas from bringing the walls down around the mages while the students themselves took turns charging the wards at the main gate to the college to keep the Dwemer army from getting in.

On the ground outside the College Naspia could see dozens of shattered centurions and sphere drones surrounding the body of a dead dragon. It was no surprise that the battle had caught its attention, but it looked like calling Odahviing for aid was out of the question.

"My poor, discouraged champion." Came a vile yet familiar voice. Naspia looked over her shoulder and saw a single floating eye with tentacles protruding out of it. "You think this situation is hopeless, don't you?"

"How is it not?" Naspia demanded, gesturing to the brass army besieging the College. "When they break through the exhausted mages will have no way to fend off their numbers, there it no army to push this one back and they felled a dragon! What about this isn't hopeless?"

"Everything, Dragonborn." Hermeaus Mora replied. "You have the power of the Voice at your command. No army can stand before you."

"Even if I was powerful enough to take this army on myself, Akonus is too much for me. He shattered my wrist without the slightest bit of effort."

"And the Restoration mages healed you."

"They don't heal the dead, Mora." Naspia spat. "And if I attack that's what I'll become. How can I save Skyrim if I'm dead?"

"Perhaps you should think outside of the box, Naspia." The Daedric prince replied. "They felled one dragon, yes but look at how many of them are felled themselves. Bring more."

"I have two dragons loyal to me..." She said, her voice shaking. "That isn't enough for this fight and there isn't enough time to gather more."

"Isn't there?" Mora inquired with a throaty chuckle. "The College mages are not done yet. Send your pets out to bring more of their kind. Shout them all into obedience if you must. You can overcome this, Dragonborn. I would not have made you my champion otherwise."

With that the visage of the Prince of Knowledge and Fate disappeared and Naspia thought hard on his words. Looking down at the brass army that was stomping through the burning wreckage of Winterhold, Naspia turned and began to walk away, heading to a safe distance to call the dragons forth without detection.

* * *

Casius stood atop a small cliff overlooking the destruction of Winterhold and the portion of his army devoted to gaining access to the College of Winterhold. Now that he'd made his presence known and proven his army's strength, Casius was determined to seize any assets that he could use for his conquest, as well as to deny his enemies.

He looked over his shoulder at Akonus and grinned. The Akaviri had not said a single word since he had come fully under Casius' control but that suited the Imperial just fine. All that mattered was that he was near by to protect him. He thought to send the prince out into the battle and spare himself the loss of troops but Casius had decided that ultimately if Akonus were not near him at all times all manner of assassins might have found the mage and slit his throat.

"I do believe we should break through the barriers they have put in place by midday tomorrow." Casius stated, seeing that there were cracks and shimmers through out the magical shield that surrounded the magical fortress. Though he could have assembled better ones in all likelihood Casius had opted for taking the catapults used by the Imperials and Stormcloaks against the mages, mainly for the sake of time. Deciding that watching really wasn't important at this point Casius beckoned Akonus to him and began to make his way back to the main army. "Now that we have our foothold and soon a land based fortress full of magical items, we're soon to be ready to start the main campaign. Aren't you excited, Akonus? Just think of it! Me, sitting on a throne of gold, you at my side, protecting me and an army of servants who owe their loyalty to me alone. Won't that be great?"

The Akaviri prince made no response but Casius knew that the real Akonus within could hear and see everything going on around him. He was positive that Akonus was furious but reveled in the fact that the god-like man was powerless to stop him. Chuckling to himself Casius lead his hound to the main encampment roughly a mile and a half away.

* * *

Naspia waited until cover of night when Odahviing was expected to return. She had expected him to show up battered and injured, if at all. She had not expected the sky to become even darker as over a dozen massive black shapes overtook the moonlight. Odahviing landed in front of the Dragonborn and roared.

"_Dovahkiin_." He began, arrogance practically dripping from his voice. "I have brought as many as would come on such short notice."

"And they would all fight this battle with me?" Naspia asked, looking at each of the dragons around her. Looking at them all now, there were at least thirty of them and they all looked to be almost as old as Odahviing was.

"We would." One of the dragons replied, stepping forward and causing the ground to rumble. "We have long been at odds with the previous Dragonborns through out the ages. Never has one come to us as an ally. The prospect is... intriguing, at the very least, _Dovahkiin._"

"Then I am honored to have at least caught your attention." Naspia replied and turned into the direction of the College. "A great enemy is besieging the College of Winterhold. There are several artifacts there that we can't allow to fall into the hands of the man who controls the army of Dwemer automatons. They have already slain one of our kin."

"Then they shall pay for it with their fake lives." Odahviing thundered and lowered his head down. Naspia smiled and climbed onto the dragon's neck, brandishing Dawnbreaker. "Come, _dovah_! Let us teach these _joore_ what true power is!"

Roaring as one the dragons all swooped into the air and Naspia had to cling to one of Odahviing's horns to stay on. Within moments they could see the brass army, still laying siege to the College, the remains of Winterhold now stomped into the snow and frozen mud. The dragons all formed a massive line and began to descend until they were only a few meters above the ground. By the time the Dwarven machines had noticed them it was far too late.

As one the dragons all Shouted great flames into the mass of enemies. The battle, if it could even be called that, had ended as soon as it started and the ground was a writhing mass ash and molten bronze. The heat from an army of Dwarven machines, all simultaneously melted beat at Naspia and she bade Odahviing to fly higher. He obliged and landed in the great courtyard, thunderously chuckling at the terrified expressions on the mages' faces.

"Naspia, I don't think I've ever been so glad to see you." Savos Aran told her, grabbing one of the Dragonborn's hands and shaking it vigorously. "That was quite the display."

"And there will be more of it before this is all over." Odahviing rumbled as he climbed up to the top of the building and looked at the destruction that had been wrought. The thirty dragons now stood idle in various spots around the college, providing the most menacing guard force Naspia had ever heard of. "Let the Akaviri come here, now. He cannot hope to best so many of us at once."

Naspia could not help but doubt his words, after seeing the inconceivable power that Akonus held. Even so, she had to admit things were suddenly not looking so bleak.

"Perfect timing, child." Came a rough orc voice behind her. Naspia turned to see Urag approaching. "I believe I've found out how to free Akonus from Casius."

"But he's already been bound." The Dragonborn replied. "My plan didn't even work."

"Are you sure?" Urag inquired. "Have you seen anyone summon the undead to fend off these machines? Come now, you should see my notes and you might understand why the Ebony Blade is so important. We may not all be doomed just yet."


End file.
